


We're Making Out Alright

by rebel_raven



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Ace Papyrus, Ace Reader, After care is so important, Aftercare, Agender Frisk, Alphys ships it, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Asphyxiation, BAMF Reader, BDSM, Bamf Toriel, Bara Sans, Biting, Blanket Forts, Blindfolds, Bondage, Bruises, But he's trying, Cause there's a lot of both, Collars, Cuddles, Cute, Dacetale, Dark Humor, Dirty Talk, Domestic Fluff, Drug Use, Ecto-Genitalia (Undertale), Ecto-Tongue (Undertale), Established Relationship, Exasperated Grillby, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, G! Papyrus is a giant nerd as well, G!Papyrus is a little thick, G!Sans smokes, Gaster is trying, Gift Fic, Grillby has no chill sometimes, Hair Pulling, Hair dying misadventures, He's a little awkward, He's failing, Healing, Heavy Petting, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Intense BDSM Scenes kiddies need a lot of aftercare, Inventive Reader, Kidnapping, Leashes, M/M, Making Out, Marking, Mermaids, Mobtale - Freeform, Mostly porn, Multi, Mythtale, Nerd G!Sans, Not the same storyline, Numerous storylines, One-Shots, Papyrus is a sweetheart no matter what universe he's in, Period Style Dresses, Pregnant Reader, Prohibition Era, Reality TV, Rescue, River Person ships it so hard, Safe Sane and Consensual, Sans is a Little Shit, Sans tries, Sass, Selkie - Freeform, Sensitive bones, Sickfic, Singing, Skeleton Mermaids, Slightly Unhinged Reader, Smut, So many ships, Some Plot, Sometimes he's just a little more prickly, Spanking, Stealing, Steampunk, Tags update as chapters upload, Tattoos, Threesomes, Tongue Piercings, Underfell, Undyne is so done, Victorian era, Worried Sans, and a lot of fluff, and a lot of smut, and fluff?, corsets, dating games, did I mention smut?, dorky love, happy endings, mafia, mythical creatures, named female reader - Freeform, new relationships, puns, safe words, some blood, sub-space, theives, this is pure sin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-10-18 08:08:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 25,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10612764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebel_raven/pseuds/rebel_raven
Summary: Every story should be told. Snapshots of the lives of people as they go through their days, spent with the ones they love most. The raunchy, the sweet, the cuddly, the deadly and the in between. The lives of a Mob Mol, her mate, and Family, the story of a slightly unhinged inventor and her ever exasperated lover, a snowy evening spent in a blanket fort, whispers exchanged in passing, body heat heady in the air like a fire, a tall, dapper skeleton in a waistcoat and the woman he attempts to court... Amoung many. Jump in, jump around. There's so much to see.





	1. All's Not Quiet on the Western Front - Mobtale

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lacewing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lacewing/gifts).



> ALRIGHT!!! I am an absolutely filthy sinner and am essentially Undertale trash. It's been really fun reading other people's work and so I decided to try my own hand at it. This is also a gift to my lovely friend Lacewing, whom I hope enjoys it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
> So, if you couldn't tell, these are a series of one shots, two or three chapters dedicated to each little story. Some will be pure smut, some will be plot and smut, others will just be cute and fluffy. This chapter is Mobtale, I will put what AU it's in at the top but the pairings are essentially a named reader and a monster. If this bothers you, terribly sorry, I will attempt to write at least one fic where there's an unnamed reader but not this one. Move along if this isn't your thing. I will also post trigger warnings at the start of the chapter in case people don't read the tags, which seems to be a common occurance.  
> WARNINGS: DRUGGED READER, KIDNAPPING AND MILD BODILY HARM. No real smut in this chapter, I'm saving that for the next chapter.  
> Alright, with that out of the way, I am my own beta, so please, if you find any grammar, spelling, or plot mistakes, please tell me in a comment and I will fix it soon as I possibly can. Alright, that's enough from me! No, wait, I lied.  
> DISCLAIMER!!! I OWN NOTHING!! UNDERTALE BELONGS TO TOBY FOX, I OWN NOTHING, aside from the readers and the various plots of this fic, I OWN NOTHING!!!  
> Okay, now of with the story!  
> Hope all is well!
> 
> -RR

The soft sound of heels and champagne glasses as they clinked across the large hall was rhythmic, swelling and filling the spaces where the soft music from the small band fell. It was a golden hall, of sorts. Draped all along with rich yellows and blues, the mayor’s hall was stunning. A crystal chandelier hung from the tall ceiling, casting delicate rainbows that the dancers cut across, being splashed with the short bursts of color and soft colors against various skins, scales and furs, catching and spinning off the beads and pearls of necklaces, flashing on earrings and rings, slipping into the folds of the charcoal suits. 

Most everyone was watching someone, talking and laughing, at something someone said, loud and boisterous or a muffled, scornful titter at a social blunder that was hilarious to the one safe in the grace of their patron. There was beauty all around; men and women, monsters and humans alike, in elegant clothing and the sleekest of fashion, an air of calm despite a little more than half of them being in one family or another, but guns and knives were concealed, and magic kept under tight wraps all to keep up the charade of a happy, merry party where the tightest of lips rubbed elbows and talked politics, connection and the ease of life now that alcohol was banned. One set of eyes roamed the room as the figure cut slowly around the room, a smile on her face and a half drunk glass of champagne in her hand. 

‘ **_You ready to move in, kiddo?’_ ** The faint whisper in her ear, barely there.

“I’ve been ready for the past twenty minutes, the floor just cut.” She mumbled back, hiding her lips behind a slender hand covered with a glove, the soft silk rubbing against her skin and making a faint  _ shnk  _ as her fingers moved. She heard a faint chuckle. 

‘ ** _Well then, better go and start, doll. We’ll wait for your signal._** ’ She hummed and giggled, pinching her cheeks a little, adding a faint blush to her olive skin.   
  
“Why Sans, I do believe you’re following a plan for once. My my, what will your brother say?” She whispered as the whisper grumbled. 

‘ **_Tiba honest, he’ll probably say that I’m being a real numbskull._ ** ’ he chuckled.

“Sans, don’t be nervous. I’ll be fine.” She whispered as she brought the flute to her lips and steadily drank the last of the champagne. She had to be careful about what she said to one of the waiters, as per her contact had told her. Saying, “Something that pops and swings,” would get her champagne made by humans, and if she added, “And with a kick and a twist, if you please.” would bring  _ Monster  _ made alcohol, which was magical and far more inhibiting. Only a small handful, on a room full of over a hundred people, knew that phrase, if only to lower the number of overly... inhibited guests. The phrasing had nearly made her snort in a rather unladylike manner. 

‘ _ And they say hypocrisy isn’t alive and well _ .’ She thought dryly, faintly amused.

‘ **_...I know you will be Eliza. Off you get, little thief. Connection’s going. Remember the signal._ ** ’ And with that, Sans’ voice disappeared, the soft buzz of fading magic crackling before a faint  _ pop  _ and it was gone. Eliza brushed a decoratively loose curl behind her ear, fingers brushing over the soft, almost wax like substance that was pulled off and away, and slowly crumbled to dust behind her as she made her way towards the dance floor, smile on her face. 

“Hello dear lady, may I have a dance?” She smiled coyly at the well dressed monster; a muscular fish monster, who looked strikingly like Undyne, if a little more slender and with dark blue, nearly black, scales, a small scattering of grey scales around his neckline, peeking under his collar and running along his neck before they deepened to that dark blue once more. His eyes were still bright yellow-amber, but with wider pupils than Undyne’s, and his crest was a rich orange, not red. She nodded, holding out her hand for him to take. He pulled her into the dance easily and held her at the appropriate distance for a smooth waltz; the song choice almost surprised her. It was a little faster paced, but still a waltz. Eliza was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the gentleman she was dancing with ask, 

“May I know your name?” His voice was a little hoarse but rolled smoothly like he had an accent. She smiled and giggled a little. 

“I’m Charlotte, pleasure to dance with someone so well coordinated. The last two fellows bumbled over my feet and cut me in the wrong direction.” She tittered, dark eyes watching him smile patiently, but there was a faint line of amusement there as well. “May I know my partners name?” 

“Rei, pleasure to meet you Ms. Charlotte. You’re a real show stopper in that dress of yours,” Rei said, giving her a small nod. Eliza looked down briefly and smiled, pleased. Grillby had picked it out for her, after a while of agonizing over different styles and Papyrus helped her find the perfect accessories. Her dress was a rich peach, just this side of creamy enough to be considered peach and not a lighter pink, with a sheer neckline and half shoulder cover, the bodice hugging along her curves and making her slightly plumper than average body look even more eye catching, or as everyone else had said. The beadwork along the bodice was an intricate set of silvers and black, detailing bold, almost fleur de lis like patterns along her breast, back and sides, leaving spacing for the color of the dress to burst out and catch the eye. The bodice ended with evenly spaced triangles, pointing down towards fringe, layered silver and black along her skirt, which faded to a richer peach and ended almost red-pink at the very hem. Her headband was a small feather, pure black, like her hair, the natural waves and curls teased into place, and a garter belt held a knife and her tool kit, her ring a small magical tracking device in case something happened, the Family could trace the magical signiture. 

“Cheers to you, dear fellow.” She said with a teasing smile, before she felt along his lapel, masking it with a slight stumble. “Oh, I’m so sorry-” 

“It’s not a problem, Ms. Charolette.” Rei said smoothly and she smiled before she looked out the side of her eye for a moment, looking, ah there he was. A light blue furred bunny, wearing a pinstripe suit, a sunny smile on his face as he laughed at a joke. His eye caught hers and he started to make his way over, nodding ever so slightly before he took a dance partner. There was a sudden spin and they changed partners.

“Took you long enough.” She hissed. 

“Well, there was a good joke, and I wasn’t going to miss it.” Charles said with a

happy grin before he slipped a small key into her hand with a wink. He leaned a little closer and murmured, 

“Take care, little Eliza. Signal is starting in ten.” She nodded and started to count the seconds in her mind, watching Rei’s back before there was another spin and she was back in his arms. 

“Hello again, there big six.” She grinned as Rei laughed.

“Hello again, Ms. Charlotte. Are you feeling all sunny there?” He asked as she started to slow. 

“Oh… I’m feeling a bit faint…” She mumbled before she went limp in his arms. A woman shouted shrilly and Eliza nearly came out of her limp posture to roll her eyes. Really now, it wasn’t that surprising. Rei lowered her to the ground and gently fanned her as people made a small circle around them, murmurs rising. She counted and then stirred, blinking her eyes slowly, as if she were coming out of faint for real. She looked around, or tried to, but Rei’s webbed hands didn’t let her go very far. 

“Be still, Ms. Charlotte, you fainted.” 

“Oh yeah? Everything was jake a minute ago…” She mumbled, pressing a black glove to her cheek. “Oh, I do feel all wet… I’m terrible sorry, Rei.” She said, purposefully rolling her words like her tongue was heavy. He simply shook his head. 

“It’s no matter. Ah, I will take you to get some air and water, upstairs. All these people aren’t good. If you don’t mind, I will carry you there. I’m a doctor, so you’re in good hands.” He said it loud enough for the surrounding people to hear and slowly trickle away. It was, after all, a party and it was still young in the night. Half of them were owls anyway, so it would likely go late into the evening.

“It’s all jake with me, you seem to be strong enough.” She said with a small smile. Rei chuckled and gently scooped her into his arms and made his way towards the upstairs, the crowd parting and slowly going back to their chattering. Rei climbed the stairs quickly and opened a door easily, leaving it slightly ajar as he entered the simple sitting room. He placed her on the couch and nodded, propping her up. 

“Please wait, I will get you some water.” He left quickly and Eliza hummed, laying still on the armature for a moment, waiting for any sound of footsteps to leave before she looked around the room she was in and smiled. It seemed Rei had put her right in the room she needed to be; the mayor’s right hand man’s study. She slipped off the couch and took off her shoes quickly, then looked around the shelves that lined the walls, but there was no hide nor hair of the book she was looking for.

“Shit.” She hissed, before she looked back at the door, but it was still clear. She picked up her skirts and skittered across to the floor to the desk, pulling out the key that Charles had slipped her and inserting it in the keyhole. She held her breath and turned it, sighing when it  _ clcked  _ and she was able to pull it open. She pulled out the files and tapped the bottom, grinning viciously when she heard the false bottom echo back, and pulled it up, reading over the documents quickly. There was information about shipments for the rival gangs, a few names mentioned, human and monster, and a marked hit list. She stared at it, committing all thirty seven names to memory in a few blinks. All her life, she’d been seen as an outsider, able to remember things she’d read only once, and read at an astounding rate. Her teachers had slapped her wrists more than once, claiming she’d been lying. 

But now, now it was useful. She was a thief, but not of pretty baubles and trinkets, gold and silver, and even hooch, wasn’t worth very much. It would always be outbid by something else, something more precious. Words. More specifically, information. Sans had found her when she was a teen, surviving on the streets as a runaway, shortly after her parents had tried to sell her into prostitution to pay off the heat. He found her reading a book with almost inhuman speed and seemed to think that she had magic, and after a few more meetings, where she’d given him the slip easier than he’d of liked, she ran into Papyrus. He made her a meal, instead of chasing her around and scaring her half out of her wits with the sudden appearing and disappearing act, talked to her and infected her with his jubilant personality. She agreed, after a few more meals and longer conversations, to go and meet someone important, which turned out to be Sans. After a bit of an argument, which almost had her running out the door, Papyrus calmed her down and she met Gaster, talked long and hard over what was going to happen; she was going to be a Mol. Or, if she proved to be more useful, a member. 

Her very first job she proved her worth, sizing up people with ease, and retaining the information she heard or read, recalling it word for word. After a few months, Gaster and the rest of the family agreed and let her go back to thieving her information, as long as she reported back what she had learned. And slowly, she became friends with each monster, and the little human Frisk who had been with them since the beginning, before they even broke out of Mount Ebott. Now, she’d grown from a too thin sixteen year old, scared for her life every day and every night, slinking by and stealing where she could, to a confident and powerful twenty six year old. She had a family, and a mate, and a stable hide away for if anything happened, and she had  _ power over her life.  _ Not something most women could boast. 

Eliza jolted when she heard footsteps and rushed, putting everything back before she could finish the other documents, getting the desk closed and locked, key left on the top by the ink well and managed to get to the couch, sitting a little haphazardly as if she’d tried to stand and fallen instead of having barely slid onto the couch in time for Rei to come in with a pitcher of water and a glass tumbler.

“Sorry that took so long, Ms. Charlotte. I had to go all the way to the kitchens- Did  you try to stand up?” he asked, raising his brows. Eliza giggled weakly and fanned herself with a hand, shrugging. 

“I thought my ditzy spell was over, apparently not.” She shrugged and Rei sighed, shaking his head before he poured her a glass of water and she took a grateful sip, letting it rest in her mouth before he turned to set down the pitcher and quietly spitting it back into the cup. 

“You really should drink, Ms. Charlotte.” Rei said, leaning against the desk and watching her. Eliza nodded and slowly drank the water, her eyebrows crinkling. She pulled the glass away and raised a hand to her forehead. 

“Oh… That’s some…. Strange tasting water…” she mumbled, head starting to feel heavy. Her Soul jumped in sudden panic, and she felt a faint answer from its bonds and a harsh tug of worry and sudden fear from her mate. Rei chuckled and shook his head.

“You know, when they said you were supposed to be feared, I was expecting a bearcat, not a bunny honey.” Rei’s grin turned malicious as she fought the effects of the drug to no avail.

“You… bastard…” she mumbled, tongue heavy as her words slurred for real, head head starting to tilt as her body went limp. She slid off the couch as her body relaxed and her muscles refused to respond, her mind starting to shut down. She landed, sprawled on the carpeted floor, watching as black encroached her vision, a pair of neatly shined shoes make their way towards her. 

“Sleep well, little Eliza.” Rei chuckled, before her eyes rolled up and she was out. 

_-_-_-

The first thing she noticed was that it was cold. The second thing she noticed was the tang of rust and old chalk. Eliza opened one eye slowly, careful to bite back the rising bile and a low moan of pain as pins and needles erupted across her body. There was nothing but black. Panic and fear began to bubble under her skin, making her heart beat double time as her eyes darted about frantically, searching for anything. She held her breath and counted to twenty before slowly releasing it, quietly as possible. Taking a few more deep breaths and blinked away tears, Eliza gritted her teeth as she rubbed her head along the floor and managed to push the blindfold free.  

Finally able to see, she blinked, letting her eyes adjust before she looked around. The room she was in was dimly lit, and it looked more like a warehouse than an actual room. Space would be more appropriate. She slowly moved till she could wriggle to her side, and look around. There was a row of crates blocking her view of the rest of the room, but there were no voices around her, no movement. She waited for a few more beats then maneuvered her body so she could sit up, silently thanking Papyrus and Undyne for all that training when it came to making her body more limber. She pulled her bound legs close to her chest and twisted, and after a bit of awkward wriggling, some indecent positions and some flailing, she managed to get her arms in front of her. 

‘ _ Alright. I need to get my hands free…’ _ she thought, still feeling her garter belt attached to her thigh. Apparently the pills were stupid enough to not check for any concealed weapons despite having heard about her. Either that or they were decent. She snorted and went with the first option, pulling her ripped skirt up to grab her sheathed knife, that was hopefully still here. She bit her lip to contain a happy sigh. Her knife was still there, all four inch glory of it. But it was sharp and it was easy to hide, and apparently forgettable enough to not bother with. It took a few minutes and some creative maneuvering but she managed to cut off the ropes that had bound her wrists. 

Eliza sighed with relief and worked her wrists in slow circles, rubbing the red raw lines and hissing in pain before she started on her feet and slowly rubbed feeling back into her legs, wincing in pain every now and then as the unpleasant sensation tingled up and down her limbs. She swallowed down bile and shifted to a crouch, her Soul pulsing loud and clear as she scanned the space for any way out, peeking over the tops of the crates. There were a few men in fedoras, she couldn’t tell if they were monsters or not from her distance, and they were far enough away that she could make a break for another hiding spot. Her bond would ensure the others would find her before anything terrible happened… Hopefully. She took a deep breath and sprinted from her spot, skirt gathered in one hand, knife in the other, legs shaky and screaming in protest. She stopped, just in time, to a shadowed space of a pillar in the warehouse, taking soft, shallow breaths as one of the men turned. 

“Hey, what was that?” Eliza heard faintly, the sound echoing. 

“Probably a rat. The bunny is tied up, she ain’t goin’ nowhere. The boss’ll be here soon. Fold or stay?” A louder voice asked and she barely bit down a swear. That  _ fucker.  _ She knew that lazy cat’s slightly desperate drawl  _ anywhere _ . Burger was  _ dead.  _ She would have felt bad about it had she had any room, but all she could feel was desperation to get out. The other sat down slowly and she waited for them to play two rounds before she crept further, this time sticking to the walls. There was a small door, not too far away. 

‘ _ If I can make it to that, I can make it outside, figure out where the fuck I am and get the hell outta dodge. _ ’ Eliza thought, taking a few deep breaths before she made a mad dash for the door, a mere twenty feet away but across open and well lit space. She made it to the door before there was a shout and then a hard chest in her face as the door swung open. 

“Well well, seems we  _ do  _ have a bearcat!” Rei chuckled, looking amused as his hand reached out, faster than she could react, and grabbed her hair, half dragging her away from the door. 

“Oh, you stupid little bitch.” He tutted. “Should have stayed behind a desk, huh?” She twisted and slammed her knife home in his arm, causing her to be dropped. Eliza scrambled to her feet and ran to the door, but something hit her shoulders and she went sprawling, shoulders throbbing painfully and palms skinning themselves as she struggled to catch herself. She pushed herself to her feet and swerved, heading to a precariously piled set of boxes that formed almost steps to a rather large window. It may not have much underneath outside but it sure as fuck beat whatever was going to happen to her in here. She made it to the second layer of boxes when there was a loud gunshot that went right past her face, almost grazing her nose. It startled her badly enough that she fell back and lay, winded and bruised, on the ground, gasping for air she couldn’t fully get. 

“Oi! Assholes! Get the clouts out of your ears and get her!” Rei roared, his voice shaking the warehouse. Eliza laid on the ground, dazed and slightly confused before there was voices and pain erupted across her entire body and she screamed as something came down on her foot, then on her knee. She curled into a ball, arms wrapped over her head and legs tucked into her stomach in an attempt to keep herself from getting the worst of the kicks. She made herself go mostly limp, remembering her time on the streets, and at home when she was young, that being limp made them less likely to aim for the head, and it would hurt far less if they broke something else. 

However, before another hit could fall, there was the sound of gunshots and screaming, causing them to pause before they abandoned her on the ground, one man kicking her shoulders before he ran after the others, Rei nowhere in sight when she eeked her eyes open. Or, eye. Her left eye felt swollen and sore, and she knew from the blood dribbling into her throat that she’d broken her nose. That was going to hurt later. She took a few shaky breaths and uncurled, then grabbed her knee, tears flowing freely, and popped it back into place. She bit her lip so hard it started to bleed, adding to the blood in her mouth. 

Eliza stood, hobbling on one foot as her right seemed to be broken, or sprained, and she could barely walk but damn if she was going to die in a warehouse. She gritted her bloody teeth and pushed herself to take hopping steps, sticking to the darkest parts of the warehouse as much as she could. She gasped and groaned, barely making any real headway but it was better than laying, waiting to die.

‘ _ If it’s the police, I can get out of here as a civilian… If it’s a gang, it may be an ally, or it could be my family- _ ’ her heart and Soul leapt at the thought, pounding harder and louder as a rush of Determination filled her, tingling down her body. However, as her heart began to sing, she heard, 

“I swear to god, I’ll shoot the dame! She’s better dead anyways!” And then there was a loud  _ bang  _ that reverberated across the warehouse. She gasped, choking on air, looking down at her chest. A large red spot was starting to bloom. A scream. A familar voice, strong arms… She looked up, gasping, and saw blue fire. She smiled and closed her eyes. 

“Nigh, nigh Paps…” And with that, Eliza slipped into a warm, soothing cocoon. 

She wasn’t sure how long she simply floated there, content to stay in the cool-warm darkness. It was like floating in the most perfect sleep, dreamless and restful. The only thing that could make it better would be boney arms wrapped around her middle, a hard rib cage against her back and long, slender fingers laying with her hair as a low, warm voice told her everything he loved about her, every freckle, every inch of skin… Those fingers, playing slowly along her stomach, tickling, teasing, warm bones that smelled like leather, electricity, spices, and sunshine. Bright as his personality. 

**_I… I need to get back to Papyrus… He should be waking me up soon._ ** She looked around the dark expanse. It suddenly felt crushing, empty and soulless, curling tighter and tighter around her, threatening to choke her, to fill her lungs with black goop. She screamed, and fought against the ooze, what had once been soft and warm was freezing to the touch. She couldn’t be there, she had to get back. 

**_Someone, anyone!! Papyrus! Please!!_ ** She cried. Then, there was warmth. Eliza gasped, shuddering as she slammed back into her body, chest heaving painfully. 

“Eliza?” Came a soft, sweet voice. Slowly, she opened her eye and saw a heart shaped, olive skinned face of a child in front of her, dark hair falling to their shoulders, eyes wide and dark, filled with curiosity and love, and a wisdom too deep for a child only twelve years old.

“H-hey, Frisk-” she rasped, smiling, lips cracking slightly. Frisk let out a cry, tears coming to their eyes and they wrapped their arms around her neck, sobbing loudly into her shoulder. 

“Y-You were asleep so  _ long,  _ Teetee! I-I was  _ so scared  _ that you weren’t going to wake up!” Frisk cried and Eliza wrapped her arms best she could around the child as she took in her surroundings. She was home, back at the House. The room was large, painted with warm colors and had three large bay windows that let in plenty of sunlight, which fell in lazy streaks over the seats and onto the hardwood floor, creeping along to the soft carpet that stopped a few feet from underneath the bed, stroking along the bookcase on the far wall, dappled over the beura in the corner and leaving the closet alone, slanting across it’s door frame. Pictures hung on the walls, some photographs, others drawings, but each one was precious. 

She knew the slightly lumpy mattress well, the way it held her was unmistakable, considering how long she’d worked to get it to feel  _ just right.  _ Her chest hurt, and everything was sore enough to make her feel like she’d been trampled by a carriage, or hit with a car. Tears slid down her face as she hugged Frisk tighter, holding the child against her, heedless of the tears that soaked the cotton. She was alive. That’s all that mattered. The door opened and there was an exclamation before feet took off, only to return less than a minute later with more feet. Frisk pulled away just in time for more arms to wrap around her and Eliza let out a wet gasp and a giggle.

“Boys, I’m fine, I promise-” She tried to placate the skeleton brothers as Frisk settled on the bed, waiting for the brothers to let her go. Sans let go first, but he looked worn, his perma-grin seemed thin and strained. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, his fedora forgotten, his pants wrinkles and shoes missing, skeletal toes digging into the carpet beneath him. He had dark blue circles under his eyes, and his shoulders rolled as he shook his head, rubbing a bare hand over his skull. 

“Paps, she can’t be jostled too much, member?” He said, low baritone rolling through her and relaxing Eliza almost instantly. She nuzzled Papyrus’ chest, her six foot seven husband almost refusing to let her go. When he did, however, Eliza could see where Sans looked worn, Papyrus, who never seemed to run out of fire and passion, looked haggard. His sockets had dark orange bags underneath, and his shirt and pants, usually so meticulously taken care of, were wrinkled and untucked. He wasn’t even wearing a tie, his sleeves shoved up to his elbows. She reached out and grabbed his hand, smiling gently. Papyrus took a deep breath and asked, voice a little higher than Sans’ but still shaking her to her core and realxing her further, even if it was to scold her. 

“What the  _ fuck  _ were you thinking?!” Oh… He was angry. Papyrus rarely swore. Sans gave her a long look and nodded, though his eye lights shot to Papyrus for a moment.

“Seriously, Eliza, we almost lost you there. Paps nearly drained himself healing you. Hell, Grillbz and even the Boss had to step in to keep you from dying before Tori came.” He said. 

“...What happened? After… After…” she couldn’t say it. 

“You were shot?” Sans asked. Eliza nodded. “Well, I shortcutted you outside, grabbed Papyrus and Grillby, left Undyne to get home with River, and then got us Home. Papyrus was frantic. You were shot right above your heart, went straight through, but you somehow didn’t bleed out. I got Gaster and he came running while Grillby worked on you as well, being an actual Healer and all.” Sans sighed and shook his head. “He nearly drained himself, and Paps had to pull out your Soul in order to directly start working on keeping you alive. Gaster came, and did his thing before Tori arrived and managed to pull you out of the danger zone and away from a possible coma. You’ve been asleep for four days.” his voice was gravelly, low and serious. Eliza blinked and nodded, taking a few deep breaths. 

“And now…?” She almost didn’t want to know the answer. 

“Well, Toriel said that you’d be alright once you woke up, and that you’d start to recover pretty fast after that.” Papyrus jumped in, looking no less tense than before. Eliza rubbed his knuckles with a thumb and squeezed his phalanges

“Hey, I didn’t die. Everything may not be jake, but it’s not all wet either.” She said with a smile. Papyrus stared at her and his eye socket twitched. 

“YOU ALMOST DIED, ELIZA!” He screeched and she winced a little, forgetting how loud her husband could get sometimes. 

“But, I didn’t.” She pointed out. “Also, lower volume please baby.” 

“She’s got a point there, bro.” Sans said, smiling a little looser now as he relaxed. This didn’t seem to calm Papyrus any and if anything, made him more annoyed. 

“I don’t CARE if she has a  _ point!  _ I almost lost her, Sans! I almost lost you! How would you feel if you lost Grillby, Sans?!” His brothers eyelights winked for a moment before they came back and Sans shook his head, lifting Frisk into his arms and sighing, then laughing softly as Eliza tugged his brother down to sit on the bed, forceful even when she had a still healing hole in her chest, broken bones, and more bruises than one would care to count, she still had a fire in her belly and in her Soul. 

  
“Paps… I’m good. I promise.” she said, levelling him with a dark eyed stare. Papyrus sighed, slumping forward, hands resting on either side of her hips, bunching the thick quilt and covers that rested over her legs. 

“We’ll leave you kids alone and tell everyone else you’re awake. Good to have you amongst the living, Eliza.” Sans said with a wink as Frisk waved before they were gone with a faint  _ pop,  _ the door closing with a burst of blue magic.

Eliza rubbed Papyrus’ neck slowly, nails catching on the dips and grooves before the thick discs met. She tugged him again and mumbled against his shoulder, 

“Think we can lay down, baby? I’m sore like there’s no tomor-” she cut herself off with a small  _ eeep  _ as Papyrus maneuvered her gently to lay down against the pillows, boxing her in below him, pelvis resting gently against her own, elbows holding up his weight as he was inches from her face. Eliza smiled and raised a hand, running her fingers over his cheekbones, around his sockets and along his jaw line. 

“You know what I thought about when I was asleep?” She whispered, smiling at him. Papyrus shook his head. “You. I thought of you, dreamed about your laugh and your brighter than life, brighter than the sun smile. I thought about your strong arms keeping me safe, fingers tickling me to wake me up cause I can be such a lazy bones,” she tugged him a little closer, voice lowering to a soft murmur, “I dreamed of your kisses, long, slow, hard and fast… every kind of kiss you could give me. I dreamed of you, my Papy.” She kissed his teeth, which quickly opened to reveal a long, wonderful tongue that she was  _ very  _ familiar with. He pressed her a little more into the bed and she moaned softly, as he pulled away to nuzzle her neck, his voice low and warm as he said,

“I thought of you, too. Every moment, waking and sleeping. Your beautiful body, your wonderful mind, your laugh, your smile…” She giggled as he licked up her neck, faint sparks of electricity shooting across her skin straight to her spine. “Your face when you think, how your tongue pokes out just a little bit and how you look when you’re so happy you could burst, or when I make you scream.” His voice dipped a little and a hand started to wander down her body, long, warm fingers rubbing along her skin, pushing up her shirt and running, ticklishly light, across her slightly toned, fleshy stomach, over the swells of her hip and skittered up her chest in slow, methodical patterns. 

“I dreamed of you holding me, never letting go.” Eliza mumbled against his neck, kissing and nipping where she could, gasping as Papyrus bit her neck and shoulder, sharp teeth digging into her sore muscles easily. She groaned, half in pain, half in arousal. Papyrus shifted and chuckled. 

“Nyehehehehe, seems the Great Papyrus has made his Magnificent and Elegant Eliza riled up. Do you want me to take care of it?” He turned his head, voice low against her ear. Any other time, she would have already started working down his ribcage, but her chest, and sore body were hurting too much to really appreciate it. 

“Not right now, Papy. Hurts too much.” She whined. Papyrus went from seductive and slow to protective in a blink. He pushed himself off of her and ran out of the room, leaving her laying there, slightly dazed, in pain and more than a little aroused. She wasn’t sure what was the worse option. Minutes later, Papyrus came back, Toriel in tow, who looked incredibly worried, and a tray of food in his hands. Toriel smiled and sighed when Eliza waved at her.

“Goodness, I thought you were falling into a coma from the way Papyrus came running. Young man, I hope this wasn’t just so you could get lucked with your wife.” She teased and Papyrus looked affronted.

“Toriel! The Great Papyrus has only the best intentions for his Magnificent and Elegant Eliza! She just woke and I worried that our… Physical… Activities… Had caused her more harm than good!” His slight blush was adorable as the first time she saw it and Eliza giggled, a little breathless. Toriel laughed and patted his shoulder with a large furry paw. 

“Oh, my dear, I jest. I apologize, I meant no offence. Now, my child, let’s see what I can do.” Toriel said as she sat on her bed, her skirt settling like water, blouse sleeves being rolled up to her elbows. She laid her paws on Eliza’s head and stomach and closed her eyes, a faint green glow growing before it disappeared and Toriel pulled way, smile on her face. 

“I’ve added a minor healing spell overtop the rest of the healing I did, but that’s unfortunately all I can do without messing with the continuous spells. But, it should take care of the soreness, and if it continues, eat some Monster Candy, or I can make a pie! I believe a cinnamon butterscotch pie is in order!” She pressed a gentle kiss to Eliza’s forehead and hugged her gently. “Feel better, dear. I’m glad you’re back here with us.” And with that, Toriel left the couple, closing the door softly. 

“Papy?” Eliza asked and Papyrus almost jumped to attention, plates of buttered toast, bacon, eggs, sliced fruit and tea rattling softly. “Come and sit with me while I eat?” Elixa asked, patting the bed. He did so, setting the tray over her legs with its stand and then crawling in from his side. He made sure she ate most of the meal and drank little more than half the tea before carrying her to the bathroom to freshen up and use the toilet before carrying her back to bed. A note from Grillby sat where the tray had been before they left, which Eliza read aloud while Papyrus pulled on a loose pair of pajama pants and a shirt, getting into bed with her. 

“I am glad you’re awake, Papyrus had me cooking the instant you were awake. I hope you feel better soon, Eliza. Everyone says hello, I’m holding them back with Sans. Undyne sends her… Enthusiastic wishes for you to get better. Feel better, we will wait downstairs. Much love, Grillby, Undyne, Al, Sans, Frisk, Gaster, Asgore, Muffet, and Tori. I love this family so damn much.” She mumbled, yawning. Papyrus chuckled, tucking them both under the covers as Eliza curled into his chest as much as she could, Papyrus wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling her neck in skeleton kisses. 

“I love you…” She mumbled, falling asleep easily. 

“I love you, most.” He mumbled back, watching her sleep before he felt his  exhaustion catch up and he was out like a light.  


	2. L is for the Way You Look at Me, O is for the Only One I see, V is Very Very Extraordinary, E is Even More than Anyone You Adore - Mobtale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks have passed since the incident, and Eliza is finally on the mend enough to report, in full, what she found. Well, she would, if Papyrus would let her actually leave the bed and do her job. A small argument ensues, along with reporting to the Boss, and well wishes from the rest of the family. And, well, a make-up kiss... Or two... Or six…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, now onto the fun part. All aboard the sin train! Well, there's still some plot but still quite a bit of smut, so if you just want the smut, skip to about the middle. Read the tags, though there isn't much in the way of warning unless ecto-penis' are a problem for you, I kindly suggest you read something else. Alright, enough from me. No, wait, I lied.   
> DISCLAIMER! I own NOTHING! UNDERTALE BELONGS TO TOBY FOX, I OWN NOTHING, aside from the oc's and the plots for this fic, I OWN NOTHING!!  
> Alright, now on with the story!
> 
> -RR

“Papyrus, I need to go and report to Gaster!” Eliza said, exasperated as Papyrus turned her Soul blue and kept her from leaving the bed as he Checked her. 

“But you almost fainted yesterday when you tried to stand up! What if something happens when you’re there and I’m not there to help?! What if something happens with your heart and you start to Fall? What if Toriel can’t help you, or Gaster can’t?! What if-” 

“Papyrus, let me up.” Eliza’s voice was even, calm, but with the edge that spoke danger if he kept holding her in place. Almost begrudgingly the skeleton complied, releasing her Soul. She sighed and ran her hands through her hair, strands getting caught on the curls and tugging in the knots. She wrinkled her nose and shook her head, huffing as she sat up. 

“Alright. First, you’re over reacting. I’ve been fully healed for almost a week, and I’ve spent three weeks in this damn bed, as comfy as it can be. Second, as much as I love you worrying over me, I need to get up and move, or else I won’t be able to walk so well. Remember when you broke your leg and had to stay in bed for almost a month before you could walk and you stumbled about like a newborn colt? It’s worse for humans, we have fleshy bits.” She smiled a little but Papyrus was still looking at her with dread and no small amount of worry. Eliza sighed and added,

“Baby, I need to talk to Gaster, it’s important.” Her spine crawled at the memory of the hit list, and the documents that she’d found in the desk. There had been names of their allies on that list, and members of her own family there too. 

“Can you not write it and then have one of us deliver it to him? You got hurt, you almost  _ died,  _ you’re so fragile and I can’t-” He pleaded and Eliza scoffed, cutting him off. 

“Don’t insult me, Papyrus. I am not a Mol, nor am I below you. I am your  _ wife  _ and I knew very well what I was getting into. I didn’t die, I was fine, even if I very nearly wasn’t. So you’re gonna mind your own damn beeswax and dry up, I’m going to shower and freshen up, and then I’m going to go and report to Gaster. If you turn me blue, I am kicking you to Undyne and Alphys’ room.” and with that, Eliza got off the bed, grabbed an outfit from the closet and a towel that hung on the back of the door, before she made her way down the hall to the bathroom. She let out an irritated breath of air as she grumbled, setting up the shower, turning the brass knobs as her feet danced on the thin floor mat, which did nothing to keep out the coolness of the tiles. While it was spring, and usually the cool touch would be a relief, she’d never really liked the cold pressing on the bottoms of her feet, too much of a reminder of days when she had no shoes, carefully picking her way around with left over cloth pulled over her feet, held in place with rawhide strips or strips of cloth. 

She stripped out of her loose nightgown carefully, pulling it up and over her head and mentally patted her back as she winced only once. The shower head was spraying water, and had warmed up considerably. Eliza climbed in, shutting the curtain once more, and slowly cleaned herself with a washcloth and soap, soaping up her hair and letting the suds run down her back. She sighed once more as she shaved and washed, careful around the still tender bullet hole just inches above her heart. A few minutes more was all that she needed to scrub her face and hair a few more times, just to get the feeling of dirt and grime from her skin before she turned off the water and grabbed her towel drying her body and hair quickly. Her curls bobbed about her neck, loose and lazy with the weight of the water, turning the smooth onyx of her hair to raven. She shook her head like a dog, giggling at the rather unlady-like behavior, wrapping her hair in the towel as she dressed in a light cream suit, and when she opened the door, saw her heels waiting outside with her small slip on socks. Eliza sighed and smiled as she pulled them on. 

“I love that skeleton.” She mumbled, looking around the long hall for any sign of her husband but there was none. She bit her lip, worrying it between her teeth for a moment then made her way past the open bedrooms, library and study. No one was upstairs, it seemed. She turned left and walked down the stairs, heels clicking faintly before she hit the back door and turned down the small leadway to the main room and kitchen. Grillby was at the stove, frying something that smelled delicious while Sans relaxed at the table, reading something or other. She could hear Toriel, Asgore, Muffet, River and Frisk in the main room. There was no sign of Papyrus, Undyne, Gaster, or Alphys.

“Heya kiddo. I see you’re out of bed finally. I thought I was supposed to be the lazy bones.” He looked a little amused and Eliza rolled her eyes, lips pursing as she sat down across from him, waving at Grillby who nodded and gave a jack-o-lantern smile before turning back to his cooking. Eliza rested her elbow on the table, hand cradling her chin, just looking around the large, homey kitchen. The ice box hummed in the corner, used to store various foods and leftovers, human and monster, and lead to the large counter space that left plenty of room for at least eight humans, or Grillby and Toriel as they cooked and baked respectively. The elemental was flipping something expertly in the frying pan, his back vest absent, shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and pants pressed, glasses glinting from the light of his flames. 

“I would’ve been out of bed sooner had Papyrus actually  _ let me go. _ He’s over reacting too much.” She grumbled, still a little annoyed with her husband. Sans shrugged. 

“Can’t blame my bro too much, sweetheart. You really were near death, even with four boss monsters healing you.” 

“I know, I just wish that he would relax a little. Everything’s jake, I’m fine. Sore, sure. But I’m fine.” She laid her head down on the table and groaned, the sound reverbating from the base of her throat. “I love him, I swear I do, but he’s such a worrywart. He turned me blue when I tried to go and shower and started to list a hundred reasons why I shouldn’t leave.” She snorted, uncaring if it was unlady-like.

“... Well, Papyrus always was one to worry. He’s not used to you being in danger, Eliza. And before you start, I know you’ve been in danger before, when you were his friend, when you were in the streets, and now as his wife and he as your husband. But, that doesn’t mean he worries any less over you.” Grillby said, his voice crackling and popping, soft but deep. She sighed and nodded. 

“I know. It’s just… He called me fragile, like I was a glass doll or a Mol that had more air than brains. It rubbed me the wrong way, is all.” Sans looked at her long and hard, fingers stapling together then coming apart as he tapped out a beat on the table. 

“Alright, I’m going to go talk to Gaster.” Eliza said, standing from the table. Sans looked at her and asked, 

“Want to take a shortcut?” Eliza nodded and sighed, holding out her hand. 

“If you please. I don’t want to bother River in taking a car.” Sans grinned and took her hand, pulling her to stand and wrapping an arm around her waist. Eliza wrapped her arms around his neck, almost like they were going to dance before Sans winked at Grillby and said, 

“Save me a dance, fire ball.” Eliza could have sworn she saw the elemental blush before she was pulled through the dark and reappeared in the hall leading to Gaster’s study. She pulled away a little, shaking her head.   
  
“Whoa, that’s something I’m never going to get used to…” She mumbled, shaking her head slightly. “Eeesh… Why do we have two places again?” she asked, only semi-rhetorically. Sans chuckled and rubbed her shoulder. 

“Mostly because people are really going for our heads, doll. You know that. We have Home and New Home; office’s here, and where we can take care of business, etc. And we live at Home. Did you scramble your brains?” Sans teased and Eliza sighed, shrugging. 

“Maybe? I just hurt all over…” Sans eyed her critically, taking in everything and running a quick Check over her as well. 

“You aren’t looking too good, Eliza. I think Paps was right about you staying in bed.” She shook her head and took a few deep breaths. 

“I’m fine, I’m not being prideful. I’m always dizzy after a shortcut, and that I haven’t eaten isn’t helping the matter.” Sans gave her a dead eyed stare, the lighting of the hall making his sockets seem darker, the shadows in stark contrast with the pearly white of his bone, the white of his eye lights glowing and filling the spaces that shadows would have been easily. Then, he blinked and shrugged, easy grin on his face as his shoulders relaxed. 

“A’ight. Your call, then kid. Paps and Undyne were called on a job, and Al’s at the labs, running tests and such. It’s why they weren’t home.” He gave her that annoying smile that meant he could guess what she was worried over without asking. She glared half heartedly at him and he tipped his fedora, looking more smug and amused than before, then settling his features into a more neutral expression as he turned to the thick oak door.

Sans knocked on the door a few times and then entered, Eliza steps behind him. Gaster sat at his desk, the large chair to compensate for his great height was almost comforting. The study was large, but cozy despite the walls almost entirely made up of bookshelves, the few spaces that weren’t shelf had electric lights, and a fireplace that was currently empty. Most of the light in the room came from a large window that overlooked a portion of the city, the street bustling with people and cars, the bright sun of a spring day didn’t make much difference in a place that had heard more whispers than confessional, the sins of many layered the room, often brought to the light from her own lips, imprinted on her mind forever. Never able to forget them. Sans levitated one of the comfortable arm chairs for her to sit in and leaned against the side of Gaster’s desk as he waited, fedora tipped down slightly, gloved hands digging slightly into his suit. 

Gaster himself was staring into nothing, his eye sockets devoid of light, fingers pressed against each other and bent slightly as his skull rested against them. His pitch black suit seemed to be fluid as it moved with him, his own fedora tipped back and leaving parts of his strange face in shadow, the cracks that ran from his eyes the deepest black in the shadows cast from the brim of his hat. He shifted, slightly, and his soft purple eyelights came back, blinking into existence, as if he were confused for a moment then settling on Eliza as she sat in the dark green arm chair, one knee crossed over the other. 

“I see you are up and walking. I’m glad; your death was a very near thing almost a month ago.” His voice dipped and cut in on itself near the end as he spoke but there was relief and obvious happiness that she was up and about. Eliza nodded and her fingers twitched, slightly, in a quickly forming habit to rub the bullet wound on her chest, just above her breast, the thick scar tissue a soft pink-white thanks to the magic that regularly flowed through her, from either Toriel herself or Papyrus, as well as the magical food she ate on a daily basis. 

“Yes, and I can finally come and tell you what I found.” Gaster likely could have come to her room and she could have reported what she found from there, but there were no real wardings there, nothing that wouldn’t stop a monster with exceptional hearing from casting a spell to amplify the words she said and selling them off to the highest bidder. That, and she wanted the Job to stay in his study, the weight of the secrets she carried anchors that rested in that room only, propped against the bookshelves, digging into the carpet and hardwood, ingraining themselves into the wood of his desk. She took a deep breath and began to explain what she found. 

“There were several documents; suppliers that some of the gangs had in common, circled in red. Others were black out and one was underlined. Napsta’s family was underlined three times and had ghost written next to it with a series of question marks. The longest one was a hit list, with thirty seven names. There was yours, Sans’, Grillby, Undyne, Muffet, Mettaton, Papyrus’, mine, Lesser Dog’s, Greater Dog’s, Doggo, the dog couple, among others that I can write down for you.” She took a deep breath and added, “Next to each name, it had written how they had died. So far, LD was the only name crossed out.” 

“It seems LD’s death hadn’t been as accidental as it looked, from what you say.” Gaster said, voice dipping and rolling over the words like liquid. Eliza nodded and restrained herself from fidgeting. “What else did you find?” His eyelights were a brighter purple, sharpened with intense light of curiosity, underlaid with emotions she couldn’t begin to name. 

“I ran out of time, Rei was coming back and I had to put everything else away before I could get anything clearly.” She sighed and rubbed her temples. “I’m sorry, I’m such a useless sap.” 

“If you were a useless sap, I would have had you killed long ago, serving a single purpose and then being dropped.” Gaster stated bluntly, face devoid of emotion for a moment, then he smiled slightly. “You’re far from useless, Eliza. I suspect that you know that, however, and that you’re simply reacting to a failure. Know that had you truly failed me, I wouldn’t have bothered saving you, no matter what harm it would have caused my sons, or the rest of my family. Now, stop feeling sorry for yourself. You’re alive and mostly well, and that’s all you can ask sometimes. Sans, take Eliza back Home and then report back to me. I have a job for you. A little birdie has served his purpose.” Sans’ eye flashed blue and he nodded. 

“You got it, bossman.” and he gently pulled Eliza to her feet before shortcutting back home, landing in her room. It was empty, them aside. Sans let her go and helped her sit on the bed, looking her over in mild worry that was steadily growing. “You sure you’re okay, Eliza?” 

“I just… I just feel tired and weak, Sans…” She admitted, feeling her body droop a little further as she felt the tension run out of her body. Sans winced and nodded, patting her shoulder gently. 

“I’ll get you some tea, get dressed for bed and go to sleep, sweetheart.” She watched him port away and shakily pushed herself up, kicking her heels away, uncaring of where they landed, and pulled off her suit, folding it haphazardly over a chair, standing nude aside from her bra, which she unclasped and threw over her clothes, and underwear, which she left on more so out of growing fatigue and wanting to be dressed. She pulled on a pair of soft, light yellow silk pajama pants that were loose around her legs, and a too large shirt that belonged to Papyrus and slipped over her shoulder. She couldn’t care, and instead crawled into her bed, asleep in moments.

Eliza woke when she felt the bed dip, but she didn’t open her eyes. Her bond with Papyrus was filling with mild regret, relief, and bubbling love, adoration, and pure happiness at seeing her, even if they spent only one say apart. Gentle boney fingers ran over her cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and running over her exposed shoulder, sweeping over her neck and back up, around her jaw and a thumb running, light as a whisper, over her bottom lip. There was nothing sexual, or arousing, about the gentle touch. It was simply Papyrus reaffirming, in his own mind, that she was indeed safe and in bed with him. His voice, usually loud and exuberant, was a soft, low rumble in the base of his chest it seemed, making her sigh happily as his large hand covered one of her own and squeezed as he said, 

“I love you, Eliza. I love you to the moon, around each and every star, and every planet. I may be the Great Papyrus but I wouldn’t be as Great as I am without you with me, my Magnificent and Elegant Eliza. I don’t know what I would do… What I would do if I lost you.” his voice caught on unshed emotion and Eliza rolled over so she was facing him, staring up at him with a sleepy, happy expression. 

“I love you too, Papy. I promise I’m not going anywhere, alright baby?” She tugged him closer, pulling with the hand he had wrapped around hers till he rested on his elbow with one arm, half laying across her, their hands intertwined on the other side. She nuzzled into his neck and sighed, happily, 

“I’m going to be just fine, Papy. I’m sorry for being so cross this morning.” She pressed a chaste kiss to his neck and he hummed, shaking his head as he nuzzled her cheek softly, teeth brushing against her jaw as he said,

“No, I’m sorry. I treated you like you were going to break, have been treating you like you were breaking. But you weren’t, and you didn’t. You were right to be cross with me, I was wrong to treat you in such a way. Please, forgive me for being so bone headed.” Eliza turned her head and kissed his teeth, though the chaste kiss slowly turned to a little headier, before his thick orange tongue was swiping across her lips in askance. She didn’t hesitate and kissed him back, moaning lowly as he situated them better on the bed, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, his elbows digging into the bed as they held up his body, his pelvis pressing into hers. 

“God, Paps… I missed this.” She moaned into a kiss, nails curling into his vertebra, pressing along the discs and dips as one of his hands ran down her side, across the swell of her hip and over her lightly toned, fleshy torso in slow, methodical patterns until he reached her breasts, fondling them softly. 

“Nyhehehe, I missed you, Eliza. I missed your touch, your voice as you moaned and groaned, the sound muffled by my kissing you. I missed the sounds you make when you try not to  _ scream  _ and wake everyone up. I missed the way you make my Soul melt with a single look, the way you make me feel is stronger than magic.” he husked, voice rough with arousal as he rolled his hips, erection pressing against her core easily, her hips rising to meet him. She moaned, the sound muffled against his kiss before he pulled away to nip and lick her neck, shifting himself so he was straddling her hips and staring down at her, a faight orange light appearing in his eye sockets before he slowly worked her shirt up and off her body, bending to worship her skin as it was presented. He nipped, licked, bit and lathed his tongue across her torso , ribs and hips, pressing sweet butterfly kisses along her breasts and when he reached her scar, fresh and marring, he lathed attention to it. Kisses that lingered, long, slow sweeps of his tongue as his hands ran up and over her torso. 

She arched into his touches, thoughts and ration drying up and disappearing, thrown out the window. Her hands wound down his back, grabbing onto his shirt and tugging, trying to get him just as naked as her, but Papyrus chuckled and pulled away enough to murmur, 

“What is it?” The light in his eyes was nearly predatory but there was also a softer, more loving look, just underneath. Eliza groaned when he stopped and panted, 

“Shirt… off. You and I should match, wanna touch you too, Papy.” He chuckled, low in his ribcage, but moved to sit up so he could pull off his shirt, buttons coming undone with startling speed before he threw it to the side, uncaring of where it landed, before he peeled the blanket off of her, pulling her pants and underwear off in one fell swoop and tossing them away easily. He licked his teeth, looking down at her, deep olive skin, littered with scars, freckles and silly things that humans called imperfection. But all he could see was beauty. Her fingers hooked in his rib cage, fingers rubbing along the inside and outside, just tugging every now and then to add a stirring sensation. Papyrus groaned and laughed, breathless, as Eliza leaned up and ran her tongue over his sternum and up his clavicles, nibbling here and there. She wasn’t strong enough to leave a mark on his bones but when she did bite, Papyrus would run his fingertips over it the next morning, feeling the faint sensation. 

“I love you, sweetheart.” He whispered along her jaw, biting and leaving a faint mark before nuzzling the spot and moving along her neck, kissing and biting at random. Eliza wasn’t idle, however, even if most of her ability to think had gone out the window. She kissed his sternum and clavicles, then pulling him close as possible, like she was trying to pull them together and never let them part again.

“I love you more, baby.” she mumbled against his teeth as a hand danced down her chest and stomach to her already dripping core, running a few fingers teasingly over her folds, his thumb rubbing at her clit, making her gasp and shudder, back arching as her hips jumped, trying to press his fingers closer, to get  _ more.  _ She just wanted anything he would give her and more. 

“Wow fucking wie…” he breathed, looking down at her for a moment, awe and love battling for a place in his gaze and settling in a mixture of hunger, love, and pure awe. “You’re already so wet and we’ve barely started. Though, I suppose a month of nothing but slow kissing will do that to a person.” he chuckled and slid in two fingers, slowly, watching her face for any sign of discomfort but all she could do was moan and writhe as he worked her dripping vagina open, teasing even as he reached her cervix, pressing in just the right way that had her seeing stars. Eliza nearly screamed before she managed to muffle it with her hand, biting down on the side of her palm to hold in the noise. Papyrus gently brought her down from her high, staring at her with pure adoration. 

“Ready for round two?” He mumbled against her neck as he pulled off his own pants, palming his rather large cock, the faint pulse of magic permeating the air, pre-cum beading at the head. She gasped, chest heaving, and nodded, wriggling underneath his hips, hands coming to his spine and rubbing the spots knew drove him crazy. He groaned, arching into her touch before she pulled away. 

“Come on, lover, tell me how… I make you feel.” Eliza gasped, still making coherent thought. Papyrus scowled down at her and lined up, sliding in with a faint  _ pop  _ before easing into her inch by inch until he hit her cervix once more, bottoming out. He stopped, arms shakign as he heaved for air, her walls fluttering and clenching him close enough to nearly be painful. 

“Stars, you’re gorgeous.” He mumbled, kissing every inch he could reach, teeth running over her skin, tongue bathing attention on bite marks and faint bruises, his hands clutching her hips as he began to thrust, filling her each time he reentered, making her moan and cry each time, hips slowly starting to speed up. Eliza wasn’t idle, however, her nails clawing his spine and ribs, her own lips lavishing attention onto him, kissing all the chips and scars, mumbling over and over, 

“Love you Papy, so much. So much… Every inch is so beautiful and perfect… My skeleton man, my bone daddy, my Papyrus-” she gasped and arched, fingers digging into his shoulders and his bit hard enough to draw blood, immediately laving his tongue across the small wound. 

“I love you, sweetheart, my Eliza. My Magnificent, Elegant, Beautiful Eliza.” he mumbled along her stomach, kissing as his thrusts slowed, turning more languid, less desperate. He kissed her slowly, fingers loosening their bruising hold on her hips to run over her stomach, dancing across the scars and small blemishes then down, under her back and over her shoulders, then back around as he kissed every inch on skin possible, nuzzlign her neck and cheeks, mumbling over and over, 

“I love you. I love every inch, my Eliza. My beautiful, strong Eliza… My sweet baby.” She giggled and kissed his jaw and teeth, arms wrapping around his neck and pulling him in close as her breath came in short gasps. 

“Papy, I-I-” She tossed her head and he growled, chuckling, 

“Come for me, sweet baby. Let go.” Eliza  _ screamed  _ and she didn’t care. The others would tease her for it, her rational mind would recognize later, but in that moment, all she could feel was her core tightening as his thumb snuck down, pressing against her clit and driving her past the point of insanity. Moments later, Papyrus groaned, mumbling her name over and over into her neck before the light faded from his eyes and his magic dissipated. They laid there, for several minutes, basking in the afterglow, before Papyrus pushed himself up with a groan, pulling on his pants and a loose undershirt, and he left for several minutes, only to return with a bowl of warm water, a washcloth and glass of cool water. He helped Eliza sit up and ran the wash loth over her skin, murmuring declarations of love all the while.

“I love you to the stars and back, my beautiful baby. You make my Soul skip beats and stop entirely. I love you more than I love the stars, more than I love myself. I love every inch and blemish, every perfection. You are so beautiful, Eliza…” He kissed her softly and she reciprocated slowly, humming and mumbling, 

“Love you, Papy baby.” He chuckled, kissing her forehead and helping her dress in her shirt and pants once more, now that she was clean, and held up the water glass. 

“Drink.” She did, slowly, and when she had her fill, he pulled it away and set it on the side table. He scooped her into his arms and settled her on the comfy bay window to bathe in the afternoon sun while he stripped the sheets, humming a soft tune all the while, before he put new ones on and scooping his now sleeping wife into his arms and pressing a skeleton kiss to her forehead and settling into bed with her after changing into his own pajamas. Eliza curled into him instantly, signing with happiness as he chuckled and pulled the blankets over top of them and wrapped his arms around her, holding her against his chest, a cage of bone meant to protect. 

“I love you, Eliza.” He mumbled against her hair, eye sockets closing 

“Love you most…” She mumbled back, smiling and nuzzling his jaw and promptly falling back asleep. Papyrus chuckled and sighed happily, falling asleep quickly. All was well. 


	3. The Selkie and The Skellie -- Mythtale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus was more than a little tired of the constant balls and feasts his parents threw in an attempt to get him to settle down. He had no interest in the various Monsters and Humans that showed up, though he'd made a few friends. He simply wanted a small cottage to retire to and to be happy with his lot in life. And if he could stop feeling just a little broken, that would be wonderful as well. Rosi just wanted to see the sights and if it got her away from her family and her species prejudices, all the better. She knew the legends, she knew the expectations. But she didn't want any of them, and while it went against her "nature", she found she couldn't care less. Being stuck under a boulder wasn't part of the plan. Being rescued and then having to rescue a chivalrous skeleton... Wasn't something she'd factored into the over all plan, but it seemed to be working out well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *gasps for air* I LIVE!!! Good lord, I'm so sorry I've been away for so long!! Eessh, that was a bit longer hiatus than I had anticipated. Again, really sorry you guys! But, this chapter, I hope makes up for the wait! It's G Papyrus and a Selkie named Rosi and a very unconventional relationship, for the time at least. No smut, sorry. Also, thank you to everyone who's read it, left kudos, comments and/or bookmarked!! It means a lot to me, and I'm so grateful to you all! Just for clarification, Papryus is aromantic and asexual, Rosi is asexual and panromantic. As always, I am my own beta, so if there's a spelling, grammar or plot error, please leave me a comment so I can fix it soon as possible! Alright, enough from me. On with the chapter!  
> No, wait, I lied.  
> DISCLAIMER!!  
> I OWN NOTHING!! UNDERTALE BELONGS TO TOBY FOX, I OWN NOTHING, aside from OC's and the plots to these chapters, I OWN NOTHING!!  
> Okay, now on with the chapter!  
> Hope you enjoy and that all is well!
> 
> -RR

The waves crashed violently against the rocks, sending spray up and over, splattering against the stones, clothes and the bones of the monster that stood there, calmly observing the coming storm. He was on holiday with his brother, Sans, who was in the village, probably waiting for him to come back. But he didn’t particularly care; he just wanted some space from just about everything. Family had been pushing him to marry someone for ages and he just didn’t care for any of the humans or monsters that they paraded around him in the guise of balls and feasts. He wanted simple life, a quiet life. Not entirely for someone who’d been in the guard for so long, long enough to be wounded and then have to leave. His cane dug into the soft shifting gravel and stones as he shifted his weight and sighed.

“What is the purpose of avoiding it?” he murmured, eyelights dulling as he fixed the collar of his tailcoat. “At this point, I may as well give into Father’s wishes. Sans has yet to settle either and yet he is allowed to go free as he pleases.” he huffed and shook his head. Such was the curse of being the eldest. He made to turn when a cry made him pause and he made his way a little closer to the edges of the rocks. A seal had been trapped against some of the rocks, it’s tail half crushed. His eye sockets widened and he picked his way quickly as he could down the slim path to the poor creature.

“Hold on, I’ll help you!” he called and the creature turned its head at the sound of his voice, dark brown eyes staring at him in fear. It barked a few times, but it almost sounded like a scream as he scrambled down the narrow path, shoes dislodging bits of shale and gravel before he managed to reach the poor thing. “Shhh, it’s okay! I won’t harm you, I promise!” he called over the rising wind, trying to seem non threatening as possible as he got to his knees, laying his cane down and shoving with all his strength against the boulder. He was a strong monster, despite being made of bone and magic. His bones were thick and he was in excellent shape, magic fluctuations aside. But it wasn’t working. He huffed and summoned a bone to use as a lever, bracing it against another rock, and trying again. The seal looked at him with an almost human expression, one of wonder and confusion but it had stopped struggling. With one final heave, he managed to get the rock to tumble away and into the ocean. He was shaking slightly, breathing hard.

“Damn…” he looked down at his hands, the bones clinking together from even that small amount of magic. He struggled to stand but he felt a wave of exhaustion rush over him. The seal barked frantically, moving towards him instead of the ocean. It was nudging him further up the path, almost out of desperation it seemed but he couldn’t get his feet under him long enough to make any headway. Suddenly, there was a young woman beside him, her hair a rich wavy mop that went around her shoulders, her skin a dark grey, that was slowly turning lighter, and something wrapped her around her waist like a kind of kilt.

“Come on!” she yelled over the wind, though she was hobbling badly. He stared at her face in mild shock, blinking slowly.

“You- You are a selkie…” he mumbled.

“Yes, we can talk about it later, now move!” she tried to haul him to his feet but it wasn’t working. Normally she would have been strong enough to get him to his feet and up the cliff side but her leg was broken, or fractured, and it hurt like a son of a bitch to put any weight on it. She had to bite back yelps of pain with each step, the narrowing of the path wasn’t helping and the skeleton was much taller than she was, not to mention heavier. She swore under her breath before finally settling on dragging him up the path, if only to get out of the way of the waves and strong currents that would kill them both. He had saved her life, she owed it to him to save his. It was difficult, the sharp rocks cut into her calloused feet and her leg was bleeding, throbbing with every step like she was stepping on knives, the blades slicing her nerves like humans sliced fish. She was crying from the pain, pulling the bag of bones best she could until finally he seemed to get his strength back and managed to start moving under his own power.

He didn’t say a word, his jaw was clenched too tightly for more than a few grunts to slip past. Finally, after much slipping, sliding and the wind pushing against them, the pair made it to the stop of the cliffs where he had been standing. The wind and rain began to lash at them as they stopped, the skeleton bent double, hands resting on shaking knees as she fell to the ground, tears falling steadily as she tried to contain her whimpers. He got his breath back and straightened, before he made his way over to the completely naked woman, aside from a dark grey, near black pelt wrapped around her waist. She flinched away from him and screamed, but he stopped and gave her as soothing a smile as he took off his jacket, shouting over the wind,

“My name is Papyrus! Come on, we need to get someplace safe!” and wrapped her in his jacket before he picked her up and slowly picked his way down, hunching himself over her to keep the worst of the wind off. With his skull so close, she didn’t have to yell to be heard.

“....Why are you helping me? Don’t you know I can eat you?”

He stared at her for several long moments before he laughed. It was strange, but oddly adorable, a loud,

“NYHEHEHEHEHEHE!! I doubt you’d like to eat a bag of bones whose magic is highly unreliable, and you did just save my life. I’m helping you because it’s the right thing to do. May I have your name?” he paused to catch his breath and get his bearings, squinting through the rain that came down in silver sheets.

“Rosi, my name is Rosi.” she said after a few minutes of silence, pulling the jacket a little closer around herself as Papyrus shifted his grip on her, making sure to support her upper back and that his arm that carried her legs stayed away from the worst of the break and that his hand wrapped around her knee, both for her comfort and for propriety. He’d heard about selkie’s and how some of them attacked Monsters for their flesh, their magic or both, and how they sometimes ate humans that came too close. Other times they gave up their pelts willingly to live on land, other times their pelts were stolen from them, hidden by the ones that then forced them to marry them. He shuddered at the prospect and looked at Rosi, who was watching him with wide, scared eyes that also had a slowly rising fire. And, strangely enough, a hint of gratitude.

“Rosi, I won’t keep you on land forever. Nor will I force you to marry me, I’d rather avoid that whole business if I can.” Papyrus said as he started walking again. “I will only keep you on land long enough for you to heal properly so you can swim and walk again, and then you are free to do as you please.” he smiled at her, kind and gentle, adding, “I know what it feels like to be trapped with something you don’t want to do, and I would never forgive myself if I trapped someone to the same fate as I.”

“...You’re a very strange man.” she said at last, smiling just a little bit. She didn’t trust Papyrus entirely, or even really at all, but it seemed he was nice enough. He laughed again, freely, the sound carried by the wind and snatched away before she could hear it. She smiled a little. She made to say something when he stumbled and fell to one knee, crying out in pain.

“Papyrus?!” she cried, alarmed but he shook his head and gave her a shaky smile.

“It-It’s nothing… Just… some magical backlash- AUGH!” his eye socket began to crack, a faint, sickly green light erupting from the thin fissure.  
“That isn’t nothing!” she snapped back but Papyrus shook his head, grinding his teeth.

“It is. Nothing. That I cannot. Handle.” He said slowly, more to himself than to Rosi, but she just huffed and growled, sharp teeth on display as her lips peeled back. However, before she could do more than that, there was another voice and a slightly shorter figure came into view.

“Paps! Where the fuck are you?! Papyrus!!” the newcomer’s voice was deep and seemed to resonate more than Papyrus’, and he was moving quickly. Papyrus relaxed almost immediately and he called,  
“Brother! Over here!”

The figure turned at the sound of his voice and came running, a coat held by his arms over his head to keep himself dry as he ran towards the pair. As he came closer, Rosi could see he was a skeleton but more slender than his brother, and a little shorter. He had a single, near golden yellow eye glowing in his socket, the other empty, like a void. He was wearing heavy boots and dark trousers, a grey sweater and his coat, which seemed to be treated with oil of some kind as the water was sloughing off it easily.

“Where the fuck were you? What were you think-Who’s she?!” he demanded over the wind and Papyrus shook his head, eye closed, the strange green light still leaking out.

“I will explain later, Sans. For now, can we please just get to the house?” Sans gave Papyrus a long look before he nodded and Rosi felt her eyelids getting heavy as they walked along. She didn’t want to sleep, but she was steadily feeling more and more exhausted as they went on. And so she curled up, best she could, in Papyrus’ surprisingly warm body, despite being made of bone and having such unstable magic. She felt, oddly safe. Like what he had said earlier was truth.

_-_-_-

When she woke up again, she was in a warm bed wearing a too big shirt with her leg wrapped in faintly glowing bandages that were propped up on a pillow. She hissed as she tried to move it and a voice came from her bedside,

“You’re awake finally it seems.” Her head snapped around to see Sans staring at her, a permanent smirk-grin stretched across his face but he didn’t move from his chair. His legs were folded over the other, his fingers stapled together as his elbows rested on the arms of the chair. He wore a white turtleneck sweater now, but his eye still glowed with that same near golden light, and he wore the same dark pants, a silver chain hanging from his pocket, a hooded jacket lined with fur flung over the back of the chair. She slowly looked around the room; her bed was warm and soft, layered with quilts and blankets, a woven carpet under the bed that stretched near the door, a small fire place on the opposite wall that was giving off a substantial amount of heat but not so it was was swelteringly hot. There were bookshelves with numerous books overflowing on them, some piled on top of shorter books horizontally in order to keep them from being piled on the floor. The window was a large bay window that overlooked the pasture area they were in, and faintly, through the rain, she could hear the sea.

“My pelt-” she stopped herself too late in her sudden spike of fear and Sans smiled at her. It was a little unnerving.

“It’s safe, don’t worry. We’re soaking it in sea water for the moment, didn’t think it would be a good idea to let it dry out. Then we’ll put it in a couple of wet towels in a metal basin and keep it damp. We’ll move it to your room once the cracks have completely healed over. Paps was real worried about you.”

“You...You’re not going to keep me here? Or… Force me to marry you?”

Sans stared at her like she’d lost her mind and barked a laugh, shaking his head, shoulders shaking as his laughter grew.

“Holy shit, I thought he was kidding!” Sans laughed, almost crying. He stopped when he saw Rosi’s glare and sobered. “No, we aren’t going to _keep you_ , or force you to marry either of us like you’re a pet or like this is a fairytale.” he gave her a softer, more genuine smile and she relaxed slightly. “We’re going to help you get better quick as you can and then we’re going to give you back your seal pelt and let you do as you please. Paps told me how you saved him, I wanted to thank you for that.”

Rosi shrugged her shoulders, leaning against the pillows. Sans lifted a few more pillows using his magic and she leaned forward letting him situate them behind her so she wasn’t lying against hard wood of the bedrest. “He saved me, in my seal form, first. He… He came down the cliff side on a nearly non-existent path so he could help, what he thought was, a seal that was trapped by a rock. I was… I was going to come to land to see the sights and before I could change, the rock landed on me and crushed my tail.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Papyrus. He honestly wouldn’t care if you were a Selkie, a demon or a seal; he’d still help you. He’s just that good.” Sans’ expression softened into a kind of admiration. “He’s the best kind of Monster; he’s selfless and so kind… He’s the coolest, honestly. He forgets to take care of himself first, though, sometimes, and gets himself hurt trying to help another. Or he’ll get carried away and forget that he’s supposed to be the older brother and I have to reel him back in.” Sans sighed and shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t mean to ramble at you. I’ve been awake for about three days with six hours of sleep, not that that’s a record but I’ve been keeping an eye on you and Paps.”

“Why?” Rosi asked, thoroughly confused.

Sans relaxed and leaned forward, letting out a long sigh as his head rested in his hands, one scratching gently at the back of his skull. “You had a nasty break and compound fracture in your leg, I tried my best to heal it but I’m not the best at healing magic. A friend of mine will be out in a few days, she can help you out. Won’t heal it completely, but it may help get you on the right path. You were feverish, and Papyrus is sleeping off the magic strain. Has a new crack too,” he lifted his head and gestured to his left socket, the one that was empty, “Right down the middle. He can still see, thankfully.”

Rosi felt a strange sinking feeling in her gut and found herself asking,

“Is he… Is he going to be okay?”

“He should be, just going to be exhausted. He’s going to be insufferable for the next few days... “ he chuckled, shaking his head. At her confused look, he explained, “Paps hates being a lazy bones, even if it means he gets to stay in bed and read. He says it’s my job to be lazy, and he’d be right, but it seems I won’t be getting much sleep.”

“...You two are weird.” she was smiling faintly at the skeleton in front of her, at ease with the atmosphere now. Sans chuckled and shrugged.

“Eh, what’re you gonna do?”

Rosi thought about it then shrugged and smiled slightly, then yawned. She felt drained.

“Tired?” Sans asked with a small smile and she nodded.

“A little.” She admitted, settling into the blankets once more, comfortable now that she knew she was safe. Sans, and in extension, Papyrus, felt like they were good Monsters. She could always break their necks if she had to and hobble out back to the sea. It would be painful but she’d make do. She always had. The thought of going back to her family made her shudder slightly; the thought of being forced to have sex with anyone and drag them into the sea, or even being trapped on land with them forever made her skin itch and crawl. Sans, however, noticed and raised a brow bone.

“You a’right there, Rosi? Can I touch you? I want to check your temperature.” she shrugged and Sans moved slowly, reaching out one hand to check her forehead, humming. She noticed how his hand had a perfectly circular hole in the center and it felt like it was leaving a very faint impression on her forehead as he pressed. “Hmnn.. You don’t seem to have a fever… Bad thoughts?” he gave her a wry grin and Rosi nodded, sighing.

“Yes… Things I don’t want to remember or think about…”

“Hey, I get that.” he said, leaning back in his chair and picking up a book. “I’ll be here, reading if you need something.” Rosi snorted and shook her head, amused, but she could feel the exhaustion pulling her back. With one more yawn, she settled against the pillows once more and fell asleep.

When Rosi woke up, she could hear soft voices. However, instead of immediately opening her eyes, she decided to stay “asleep” and see if she could glean anything from the conversation.

“How is she?” That was Papyrus’ voice, and he sounded concerned.

“Bout as well as a selkie can be, I suppose.” that was Sans. He sounded exhausted, his voice heavy and almost dipping, like it had actual weight. “She woke up the day before last, we talked for a bit, checked her temperature, she fell back asleep. I moved her pelt under the bed in a metal basin with a buncha towels to keep it from crackin’,” he paused, yawning hugely. “Fuck, I’m tired…”

“How long have you been awake, Sans?” this voice was female, gentle but with a slight edge to her voice, possibly worry. She could almost _hear_ his shrug.

“Dunno.”

“Brother, this is serious, you need sleep.”

“Yeah, and who’s gonna be awake to keep an eye socket on you two?” his tone light, but it sounded forced, like he was trying to lighten the mood with a joke. Papyrus huffed and sighed.

“Sans, please. You need sleep. I know you don’t sleep that often but you need it. You won’t be of any use to anyone if you’re running yourself ragged all the time.”

“Yeah… I know tha’ Paps-” he broke off with a loud yawn, “But I doubt she’ll be very happy with just you and Tori in the room. She seemed scared.” Rosi tensed slightly and shifted when an unfamiliar hand touched her bandaged foot.

“Well, I do believe she’s waking up.” Tori sounded relieved. Rosi blinked and looked up, feeling her eyes widen. In front of her was a goat like creature, her fur milky white and a kind air about her, her dark eyes looking over Rosi like she was scanning for more injuries. She wore a beautiful but simple lavender gown, a light grey shawl wrapped around her shoulders and large, fuzzy paw-hand like appendages were clasped in front of her. She stepped forward, her foot making a soft sound, meaning she wore no shoes. Rosi took in the entire gown; there was like a quarter corset around her ribs, the cloth around her bodice was more like layered fabric, criss-crossing and tucking into itself like a basket weave. Her skirt flared out a bit from petticoats, and it’s sleeves were a softer lavender than the rest of the dress. Papyrus was just behind her, wearing a simple white button up and black pants, his left eye was wrapped with bandages that were a little red and sparked green magic on occasion. She couldn’t see if he was wearing any shoes. Sans was at the foot of her bed, wearing a grey sweater this time, along with the hooded jacket, the soft fur fluffed out around the hood. He wore the same black pants as his brother, and like with Papyrus, she couldn’t tell if he wore shores.

“Hello my dear, I am Toriel, a caretaker.” Toriel’s voice was calming, her tone shifting so it was gentler. Rosi nodded and found herself relaxing. Toriel smiled at her sweetly, genuine love and kindness radiating off of her.

“H-Hello…” she mumbled.

“How are you feeling? If I may, may I touch your leg so I can see what I can for speeding up your recovery?” Rosi gave another soundless nod and simply stared at Toriel in mild confusion as the woman sat on her bedside and closed her eyes, reaching out to touch her leg. Rosi flinched at the initial contact; Monster magic _hurt_ when it was applied directly, at least the first couple times. Toriel didn’t stop, however, and simply ran her hands slowly up her leg till she reached her knee. There was a faint tingling in her leg as Toriel worked, her large, warm paws leaving trails of heat underneath the strange tingling sensations.

“Alright,” the healer pulled away and stood, before she sat heavily in the arm chair. “That’s the best I can do, without causing harm that is. Selkie’s magic is very different from a Human’s or a Monster’s. Unconsciously, my dear, I believe you were drawing on my magic and draining me. It’s no fault of yours!” she rushed to add when Rosi tensed and leaned away slightly. “It’s simply that Monster magic is so heavily concentrated and your magic tends to flow and move more freely.”

“So, it’s like when one substance leaves, another comes to take it’s place?” Sans murmured, looking interested. He pushed off the wall, yawning. “That’s fascinating-” he was cut off, however, when his eye light winked out and he crumpled to the ground. Rosi cried out in mild shock and worry while Toriel was on her feet in a moment, though Papyrus had already caught his brother, holding him easily in his arms. Sans mumbled something and pressed his face into his older brother’s chest. Papyrus sighed and shook his head.

“I will return in a moment. I need to get him to a bed.” he was exasperated, that once again, his brother managed to forget that he needed to take care of himself first and foremost. “Toriel, Rosi, I will be right back.” he gathered Sans into his arms and stood slowly, careful with his own mending body, and made his way out of the room and down the hall towards Sans’ room.

He pushed the door open with his hip and stepped around the haphazardly piled clothes, books and notes, settling Sans on his bed and undressing him quickly. He folded his clothes up and put them away, leaving the jacket on the bed post like Sans preferred, and dressed his younger brother in loose sleep pants and a baggy sleep shirt, though he knew Sans preferred to sleep without one. It was cold outside, and his bones had always been sensitive to the cold. Once he was sure Sans would be comfortable, with the ease of someone who’d done the same thing for years, he picked Sans up and managed to get him to stand, leaned against him, as he turned down the covers enough to pick Sans back up and lay him in the bed and cover him with the thick blankets and duvet. He smiled faintly at his baby brother and ran a gentle hand over his younger brother’s skull, thumb rubbing between his brow, softening the already forming frown. His nightmares had returned then. He felt guilt stab his Soul once more, looking at his sleeping brother. Sans was constantly taking care of him because he was so forgetful, and a little self destructive, if he were to admit it privately to himself. It wasn’t fair to Sans to have to deal with his older brother, broken as he was- He stopped that train of thought immediately.

He wasn’t broken. He simply… Didn’t feel romantic feelings towards anyone, nor really any sexual urges. Some thought that fighting had turned him to men more than women, others thought he had someone already of a lower class, and still some thought he was simply sick. Or stubborn. And a few whispered that he and Sans had some sort of… _relationship_. Sans, thankfully, hadn’t heard such accusations, or else he would have quite possibly done far worse than Papyrus had. Which, quite frankly, may have been slightly over the top but really, what else was he supposed to do? It certainly wasn’t his fault, entirely, that they became violently ill when they drank at his party, nor that when they saw him, they couldn’t seem to control their fearful responses, faces paling and making quick excuses to leave his general vicinity. Undyne helped. He rubbed Sans’ skull a few more times before he made his way back to Rosi’s room, limping ever so slightly and making a mental note to get his new cane soon as he could. As he came near, he could hear them laughing. A smile spread across his face at the sound; he liked the sound. It was a cross between soft bells and barking, it was odd but almost adorable.

He knocked and called,  
“May I come in?”

“Oh, there you are!” Toriel called, opening the door for him, a smile on her face as she hid a giggle behind her hand. “Rosi is a very spirited Selkie, I wish you luck withstanding her jokes my dear.” Papyrus paled slightly and winced, causing her to laugh once more and shake her head.

“Her leg should be healed up properly in a month or so, I did the best I could but she may heal slower or faster depending on how much she moves around. I’ll be back in a few weeks to check on her.” and with that, she left.

Papyrus made his way into the room and sat on the chair, smiling faintly at Rosi as she yawned, flashing her large, sharp teeth once more.

“Are you hungry? Or thirsty? I can make you something, if you’d like.” he offered.

“Water would be nice, actually.” Papyrus nodded and fetched the pitcher, filling a clay mug halfway before giving it to her and settling back in the arm chair, picking up the book Sans had been reading as he waited for Rosi to speak or to simply ignore him and fall back asleep.

“Were… Are you and Sans serious about what you said?”

“What about?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. Rosi gave an agitated huff and made a motion with her hand.

“About helping me to heal and then letting me go back to the sea?”

“Of course! The Great Papyrus always keeps his word! And Sans is always serious, unless he’s telling a terrible joke, then he’s annoying.” That startled a barking laugh from her and Papyrus grinned at his own success.

“That was actually good.” She said with a smirk and Papyrus shrugged, crossing his ankles as he propped the book on his leg.

“Thank you. I do try to make up for the terrible puns and jokes that my brother attempts to pass off as humor.” He was smiling as he said it, however, and Rosi could tell that for all the ribbing he was giving the younger, Papyrus did enjoy his terrible humor. She’d have to be the judge of how “terrible” his jokes were, as a joke that couldn’t make at least one person cringe wasn’t worth the telling. She put down the mug and ran her thumb over the rim, idly, for a few moments. Papyrus waited patiently before he picked up the book once more and began to read.

“...What are you reading?” she asked, curious.

“An installment of Sherlock Holmes. Sans does love his penny novels, and I have to admit I’m fond of them too.”

“...Could you read some to me?” she asked.

“Can you not read yourself?” he asked before seeming to catch how rude that was and fumbled to correct himself. “I didn’t mean to imply that you were illiterate or that-that you weren’t able to read- Or to sound rude and ask why you would have me read to you when you could read yourself- Damn… uh…” he trailed off, thoroughly embarrassed, a faint green blush spreading across his face. Rosi was biting her lips, trying very hard not to laugh at the fumbling skeleton but a soft snort escaped her. And that was it. She couldn’t stop laughing. He was frankly adorable, riled up like that. It was funny to see him so flustered when he’d been nothing but put together the whole time. After a moment, she could hear his own laughter joining her’s and she laughed all the harder, tears of mirth leaking at the corners of her eyes. Finally, after several attempts to calm themselves, Rosi managed to reign in her barking laugh, snorting a few times. Then, she stuck out her hand, still giggling, said,

“Hello. My name is Rosi. I’m a selkie with a broken leg and currently half naked in your home as I heal. Shall we be friends?” Papyrus grinned and took her hand firmly in his own, feeling her squeeze back, a glint in her eyes that was both challenging and amused as he answered,

“Hello Rosi. My name is Papyrus. I am a skeleton with defective magic and a fucked up eye light and socket. Pleased to meet you. I do believe we shall.” they managed to keep straight faces for about thirty seconds before dissolving into giggles once more. Papyrus calmed down first and settled in the chair, ankles crossed as Rosi settled herself against the pillows and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Well? Are you going to read to me or not?” she asked and Papyrus coughed, picking up the book and turning to the first page and began to read.

_-_-_-_

The pattern continued for the rest of the month while Rosi healed, slowly. Sans or Papyrus would be waiting for her to wake up, usually reading, and always with food and something warm to drink, as well as water. While she was forced to lay in bed, one brother or the other would read aloud from Sherlock Holmes, or a textbook, or any other assortment of books. Almost startlingly quickly, she found that the brothers had become her best friends, and that with the amount of time she spent with them, she didn’t have time to think about what some called Land Fever, or even think about how she’d been stuck in bed so long. Rosi, at first, thought the brothers were almost disturbingly similar, but very quickly figured out how wrong she was.

She found that Sans was either always awake or always asleep, sometimes dozing off in the middle of a sentence only to snap back awake minutes later and carry on as if he’d never dozed off. It was amusing to say the least. He also told absolutely _awful_ puns and jokes, based on various topics; sometimes puns of his bones, other times objects or topics they’d been discussing, and usually made her cringe. She loved them and made sure to commit them to memory. He was also rather guarded behind his smile and easy laughter and kept the topics at surface level unless he was interested then he was more animated and fell asleep less often. He was kind, however, and smiled more genuinely after the first few days, and told her stories that she’d never read or even heard of. He also didn’t pry into her life, which she was grateful for. Neither brother did, accepting that she would talk about it in her own time.

Papyrus was calmer, but only on the surface. Like Sans, he was guarded but she could tell it was for different reasons that his brother. Sans had a sadder light in his eye than Papyrus, but he looked more haunted, hunted even. She learned that he’d been in the war, in the Guard even, and that he’d been hurt, which was why he walked with a cane. When the bandages came off his socket the third day in a row she'd been awake, he had to blink several times to get used to it. Papyrus was, when he was mentally stimulated, very animated and could even get loud, almost to the point of shouting before he toned himself down.

It was interesting to watch him swing from extremely animated, his hands moving in almost incomprehensible patterns, like an entirely different form of language, then slow down before stopping entirely. Sometimes, to keep them occupied, he would pick up knitting, working steadily on a bright red scarf that looked soft as kelp. He would talk with her for hours on end, on a variety of topics; everything from the latest stack she’d managed to get through -- the brothers supplied her with stacks of books to read when she wanted, no two books distinctly similar and on a variety of topics and fictions, many nonfiction, and she was a voracious reader. She finished books in two days, sometimes three when she was tired -- to the weather, cooking, gardening, fashion, and what they thought about. He was sometimes awkward, but not in a way that people who had a romantic affection for someone were; but in a more general way. As if he never knew what to say or do to express something and he’d trip over the next few sentences before he managed to organize himself once more. It was endearing.

Toriel came by a little more often, occasionally with clothes for Rosi to wear that ranged from trousers and button down shirts to flowing dresses that were simple and comfortable but also elegant, and always with a baked treat. Usually it was pie. And, more often than not, with a small child named Frisk. She wore trousers and tunics, dresses, skirts and sweaters, and had rich almond skin, her eyes a dark brown, hair a dark brown mane. She smiled when she first met Rosi and she felt her heart melt a little. Frisk was a sweet child, no older than ten, but very intelligent though she didn’t speak and instead used hand signs. Rosi didn’t quite understand and had to rely on Papyrus, Sans or Toriel to translate for her, but Frisk didn’t seem to mind. If anything, she slowly taught Rosi how to read the hand signs so she could understand what Frisk was trying to say. They got along quite well when Toriel brought Frisk with her, and Rosi loved reading to the child.

Toriel helped Rosi bathe once her leg was able to be moved, and helped her to and from the loo when she had to go. Thankfully, most of the food she ate was magically so it was a rare occurrence. A few times, Papyrus had helped her bathe or make her way to the loo, but it didn’t feel as… Odd as she was expecting. He never treated her with anything less than the utmost of courtesy and respect, never ogled her naked form, not that she really cared, often joking with the brothers that she was so used to being a seal she forgot that her human form was meant to be clothed in more than skin. He talked to her and made sure to be gentle with her leg but he didn’t treat her like an object either. It was just him, helping her get clean. This time was no different.

“Sans is heading into town later today to buy more notebooks, he’s run out of room in the other ones.” Papyrus was saying, snapping her from her thoughts as he gently washed her light grey skin. She turned her head a little and raised an eyebrow.

“Already? Doesn’t he write on both sides?”

“And in the margins,” Papyrus said with a nod, carefully avoiding her still splinted leg as he stood to get more soap, which was propped at a slightly awkward angle on the edge of the tub. “You’d think he would have more room, given that he writes in all lower case.” he snorted, settling once more on the stool and rubbing the soap onto the cloth and handing it to her while he started into her hair, careful not to get his bones caught on the strands.

“Hmn…” she almost wished she could purr at the sensation of his boney fingers scraping across her head and digging into the roots of her hair.

“Oh, am I pulling again?” he asked and Rosi flapped her hand.

“No no, it feels fine.” she assured him, before she started to lather up her front, scrubbing at a few spots here and there. Companionable silence fell, the soft sound of his hands scrunching her wet hair and the water shifting occasionally from her movements filled the room.

“Hey, Papyrus…” she finally said. He hummed. “How did your magic get to be so… fucked up? You and Sans, and Tori, have all said at some point or another how it’s defective. What’s that mean? How can a Monster’s magic be defective?”

Papyrus was silent for a long while before he said,

“Why don’t we finish your bath and get the splint off your leg, then I’ll tell you.”

“Alright. But I’m holding you to that. Or I’ll tell Sans where you keep the bourbon.” she threatened. Papyrus paled, and for a skeleton it was rather impressive, and nodded hastily. A drunk Sans was a punny Sans and a punny Sans never shut up.

“Of course.”

“Good.” She said with a self satisfied smirk. She leaned forward and he poured a bucket of lukewarm water over her head, washing out the soap, making her hair plaster itself to her skull. Papyrus held out a hand, towel over one arm as she maneuvered herself to get ready to stand. She pulled the drain cover up before grabbing his hand and standing slowly, balanced on one leg as Papyrus wrapped the towel around her then picked her up and carried her back to her room. There, he took another towel and semi-dried her hair while she sat on a chair, legs outstretched. Then he helped her balance as she dried her body off and helped her sit once more before grabbing from the looser clothes that Toriel brought for her, a simple blue dress that accented her skin quite nicely. He finally laid her out on the bed, Rosi grabbing the knife Sans had left there earlier as Papyrus settled on the bed, resting her leg in his lap.

She watched, tense, as he slowly but surely cut it away, revealing a smooth grey leg that had but a faint blue bruise. She bent it slowly and flexed her toes, but it seemed the magic that Toriel had worked into her leg, as well as all the bed rest, and her own Selkie magic, made it heal with no incident. She grinned widely and clapped a few times, wriggling her toes.

“Paps, look! I can feel my toes all at the same time again!” she laughed, wriggling them in his face. He snorted and smiled ruefully at her before plastering a slightly more fake smile on his skull and forcing a laugh as he tickled the bottom of her foot gently. He received no reaction other than a faint chuckle; her feet were heavily calloused and the light tickling did nothing.

“Yes, and they’re all faintly blue too,” he teased, settling against the wall as she refused to let him up. He knew he could just as easily of moved her legs himself but there was no fun in that. And besides that point, he didn’t mind sitting there with her. He didn’t usually like it when other’s touched him but a few had exceptions; Undyne, Sans, Rosi, Frisk, Grillby, Toriel, Muffet, Asriel, Alphys, Mother and Father he didn’t mind. He didn’t mind giving hugs or comforting people either, it was just that prolonged contact for no other point than to touch that made him itch faintly. But then, select few had the ability to touch him outside of a hug, or a comforting gesture, or even a dance.

“So? Are you going to tell me?” He blinked and looked at Rosi, who added, “I was joking about telling Sans where the bourbon was.” he smiled and shook his head, sighing.

“No, I was merely thinking of where to start. It isn’t a dreadfully long story.”

“That’s alright, a story is a story.”

“Very well.” he took a breath and leaned his head back so he was staring at the ceiling, the warmth of the fire brushing over him and the heat that rose slowly from the small nest Rosi somehow managed to make made him relax faintly. Rosi herself made him relax enough to actually explain. “You know how I was in the Guard, how I managed to rise to the rank of Vice Captain. The job in and of itself wasn’t especially glamourous, just slightly less paperwork that Undyne had to deal with but the same amount of tactical meetings, trainings, and various meetings to attend. My magic, before what happened _happened,_ wasn’t entirely stable either. But after the events that transpired-”

“Paps, you’re stalling.” Rosi said gently, giving him a look. It was hard to read. Like she understood the pain behind what it was that he wanted to say, but for a different reason.

“You’re right. Alright. My magic became, I guess what is known as defective, because I was badly injured. My spine, my cervical vertebrae, was nearly severed. It disrupted my already unstable magic flow and now using even minor magic can be taxing, despite that I have deep wells of magic.”

“How did it… happen?” Rosi asked, voice a little softer and Papyrus gave out a long breath of air.

“A fight. I… I used to be very idealistic. I still am, really. But, I went into the fight thinking that I could change my opponent's mind, that we didn’t have to fight and that if they’d put the knife down we’d be able to talk. Sometimes, it actually worked. Other times, I had to fight and subdue them. Or straight out kill them. It was a very gruesome business. And it was one that I’d wanted to know, for some ungodly reason. But then, I believe the young me would have still wanted to join the Guard knowing what I do now. Young me would believe that anyone can be good if you just try.”

“And now?” Rosi asked.

“Pardon?”

“And now? What do you believe now?” she was almost scared of the answer.

“I believe that anyone can be good, just as anyone can be evil. But you have to give them a chance to grow and change before you try to understand them. Beings are rarely what they give you at face value.”

They fell silent for a long time, merely thinking.

“I didn’t exactly leave to escape, I just wanted to try and change my ideas.” Rosi said suddenly and Papyrus stared at her for several beats.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked, voice tilted in curiosity.

“I’m a selkie. It’s expected of me to eat the flesh and magic of whatever creature I manage to catch. Other’s expect that I’ll marry them if they take my pelt, and other’s expect to have my body for their own personal toy or exotic wife.” she snorted. “I wanted to get away from the expectations as well, of my family. I wanted to get away from it all, really. They all hate land lovers, Selkie’s who’ve given up the seas willingly, and those like you, who live on the land all the time. They eat the flesh, like kelpies, and started a new string of myth’s about selkies. It’s a little disgusting, actually.” she sighed. “I… I wanted to believe that I could find someone I love, land or sea, and that I could return to both. I wanted to find a home on the land and in the sea. But if a selkie gives up their pelt, any attempts to return to the sea will be met with attacks from other selkies and usually a body washing up on the rocks. Or being eaten.” at Papyrus’ grimace, she laughed harshly, the oddly endearing bark sharper, harsher. “Oh yeah, some can be cannibalistic. I saw it happen a few times. It wasn’t pretty.”

“Then what do you wish to do? Your leg is healed, and your pelt is under the bed, where it’s been the whole time. Would you like to leave and return to your home?”

Rosi didn’t answer for a long while. When she did, her voice was heavy with the weight of unsorted emotion. “I...I don’t know what home means anymore. I used… to think that it was the sea. It was all I knew. All I know. Land… Land is strange, but also _strange.”_ her voice was filled with wonder at that, her eyes almost holding stars they were so bright. “You and Sans… You two are weird, and quirky. He falls asleep or never sleeps, spends days writing out notes for science experiments and when he’s stressed, he’ll bake. He’s turned me into his delta taste tester from that. You… You don’t make much more sense. You fake confidence sometimes, and you’re awkward, but then you’re real, and very kind and sweet. You spend hours with me instead of going out to see the world you have at your fingertips and you’ve spent days on end dissecting a book to the point where I can’t even remember the original plot. You knit as well! This room, this house… It’s quiet and yet also loud and I...I don’t know. I don’t know… I’ve gotten used to being here, but I want to return to the sea and I also want to stay here.” She blinked when he reached over and gently wiped away the tears that started to fall, rough bone leaving faint score marks under her eyes.

“You’re crying…” he mumbled.

“I… I don’t want to leave my best friend. I don’t want to leave you.” she whispered.

Papyrus stared at her for several moment before he maneuvered himself and managed to awkwardly flop to one side, squirming a little before his back rested against the wall and he was able to pull her close, pressing his teeth to her hair as he hugged her warmly, arms tight around her middle.

“Don’t cry over me, you silly selkie. You’re always free to do as you please. I won’t ever blame or fault you for what you choose, but… I want to be selfish and beg you to stay here with me. Because I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to lose my best friend either.”

She sniffed and turned so she was pressed against his chest, curling up in his arms. He was warm and safe. He was _safe_. Rosi closed her eyes and wrapped her arms tight as she could around his ribs, squeezing till they groaned faintly and he squirmed, making her loosen her grip.

“I… I don’t know what I want.” she mumbled finally, muffled by his shirt. “I want to be here, with you, and Sans, and Toriel. I want to see forests and travel as far as I can. I want to be with you.”

Papyrus simply hummed and closed his eyes, pulling the blankets a little closer around them, like it would shut out the world. “I would rather you be happy than miserable, Rosi. I… I… I don’t know what I feel. I just want you to be happy.”

“And not yourself?” she snapped back, ire rising. “You’re a moron if you won’t let yourself be happy either! What the fuck, Papyrus! Take care of yourself-”

“Please, Rosi… If this is the last time I get to talk to you, I’d rather it not be in the form of a fight.” he said quietly. His shoulders shook faintly. It felt like his Soul would break. Another friend, lost. Another he was unable to keep. He wanted to be selfish, demand that she stay, steal away her pelt- he blocked those thoughts immediately. That would be unfair to her and she would never be happy, stuck like he was.

“...Alright, Papyrus.” She sighed, calming down as she settled once more. They stayed like that, cuddled with the other, until there was muffled yelling heard downstairs and a door being slammed. Sans’ boots stomped up the stairs and he grumbled, expression dark.

“Brother?” Papyrus asked, propping himself up as Sans sat down heavily on the arm chair.

“Sans?” Rosi asked, a bit tentative as she rolled back over and saw the way Sans slumped in the chair, rubbing his skull and growling, gritting his teeth together.

“Father and Mother are in town.” he stated blandly. “They want us to come back and celebrate your twenty-eighth birthday with yet another ball. They’re insisting and you know how they’ll get. And to make matters worse, they’re threatening to marry you off in an arranged marriage.” Papyrus stiffened.

“Why are they insisting that you go? Why are they trying to marry you off, even?” Rosi asked, confused. She knew a little of Papyrus’ situation, his family was trying to get him to marry someone before he was a bachelor forever, but he had no interest in being married.

“Because we skipped most of the Season Balls and Feasts where Monsters and Humans flock to the manor and dance, eat and hunt for a period of time with the latest of fashions. And usually flaunt their sons and daughters at us like they’re fresh cattle. And then there’s the displays of fireworks and such.” Sans said with a long, defeated sigh. “It’s fucking pointless, honestly. I get out of it because I’m the younger son, but unlike Papyrus here I want to have sex, get married and fall in love.”

“...You don’t want to fall in love?” Rosi asked, curious. She’d known other’s who refused to fall in love, for a variety of reasons, but Papyrus seemed to be filled with nothing but love.

“It’s more like I can’t. At least, romantically. I can’t feel romantically for another. It’s caused more than a few issues, to be quite frank. I...I want to be able to feel romantically for another, but I can’t. I feel deeply for my friends, few as they are, and I feel deeply for Sans. But it isn’t a romantic notion as many think.” he sighed. “I am more or less broken.”

“Shut up.” Sans and Rosi said firmly in stereo. Sans gestured for her to continue and Rosi blushed faintly as she took a deep breath before saying,

“You’re not broken. Don’t you fucking dare even think that way. I don’t want to ever have sex, I have no interest in it, I feel no sexual feelings towards anyone, no matter what. I can feel love, romantically I mean, for another, but I never want more than close, easy contact. It’s not you that’s broken, Papyrus.”

“You know she’s right Paps,” Sans added. “It’s not you that’s broken but the way you’re thinking. You’re fine. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, you know that. Father and Mother can learn to accept that.”

“I’m not bro- I think I just got an idea.” Papyrus said, sitting up fully, pulling Rosi with him. She let out a startled noise but settled on his lap easily enough after a moment, her legs over his thigh, her back resting on his arm. Sans looked a little worried and raised his eyebrows in growing worry.

“Uh… Bro?”

Papyrus stared down at Rosi with an almost feverish look in his eyelights, a wide smile on his face as he said,

“Marry me.”

“Pardon you?” Rosi asked, more confused than outraged. Sans simply stared, his jaw hanging open a little. Papyrus rushed to explain.

“I mean, stay with me. Marry me as my best friend, I hear some couples are their spouses best friend anyways. I don’t want to marry some Human or Monster and trap them in a romantically loveless marriage, and I really would rather avoid sex or a political arrangement like they’re planning. You can keep your pelt, you can leave at any time for the sea. I usually live here, with Sans, to avoid home. But we can move closer to the sea, we can do anything you want. I just… I just don’t want you to be ripped to shreds, or be trapped by someone else. I don’t want to lose you, I can’t lose another friend.”

“Uh… Bro, I think you’re over reacting. I mean, I know this is a bad situation but it’s a bit sudden to ask her-”

“Yes.” Rosi cut Sans off almost immediately, a smile crawling over her face. How could she ever think that Papyrus would go against his word? After spending every day with him for a month, after countless hours of talking with him, how could she have thought he would go against his word? “Yes, I will marry you. We can do anything and go anywhere.”

“Best of all, it’ll be a fuck you to Mother and Father.” Sans laughed, making the pair giggle, then start to laugh until Papyrus was faintly green in the face and Rosi’s cheeks were a dark grey, ash colored skin flushing as she fanned herself with a hand. She blushed all the harder when Papyrus pressed his teeth to her forehead, nuzzling her cheek, chuckling.

“Sans, can you contact Toriel for us? I’m sure she and Frisk will be more than adpt at helping us pull this off.” Sans’ grin was near evil as he nodded.

“She’s staying in town, I’ll go see her now. She can whip something together in the three weeks we have before the party. Make sure to make your story beliveable you too.” and with that, he left.

The whole night, they talked, content to spend it in each other’s arms, simply laying there on the bed. After a bit, Papyrus suggested that they walk around the house to get her used to it once more and Rosi accepted, but she didn’t really see the cottage. She knew the upstairs had a bathroom, Sans’ room, Papyrus’ room and the guest room, and downstairs was the kitchen, a large, but cozy living area that was filled with bookshelves and the brother’s combined lab and study was just in a room off to the left, locked at all times. Papyrus had told her about it, as had Sans; they tested various chemicals and ran experiments almost nonstop, building and tinkering with whatever they could get their hands on, Sans more so than Papyrus, who preferred to study the biological side of things, flora and fauna.

As they walked and talked, they discussed how they would make the tale true as possible. She would reveal herself as a Selkie, but claim that Papyrus had no idea that she was one as they corresponded through letters, Toriel their messenger until she managed to make it to him and they spent time talking and reading. He found out she was a selkie when she failed to appear one day and he went to look for her in a storm, instead found a trapped seal and being a biologist and general animal lover, went to help. It was only when he managed to get the boulder free that she removed the pelt and helped him up the cliff. Sans then helped them both, and she was nursing her broken leg for the past month. Rosi laughed and shook her head when Papyrus presented her with stationary, aged slightly, about a week later. Toriel and Sans were talking softly with each other, looking over designs of some kind but they refused to let her see.

“What’s this for, then?”

“My mother will no doubt ask to see some of the letters.”

“Hmn… That would be troubling.” He nodded and smirked.

“However, who said that they had to be anything more than simple letters? Just write about what you’d like me to know, something you’d tell someone you couldn’t see.”

Rosi nodded and took the offered stationary and began to write. She wrote how she longed to see him, not just a sketch, how she wished to talk with him about the various subjects that had so little meaning on paper and how he was charming and kind. She wrote pages and pages of letters, some short, others several pages long. Toriel gave her a timeframe of six months and she made sure to carefully date each letter, making each one a little more personal, a little more detail oriented as the “months” went by.

Papyrus did the same with his own letters, writing how she sounded like a very intelligent woman, how he wished that he could show her the libraries at the universities, the woods and the rivers that he regularly explored, the small cafe that he visited, the topics and the books that couldn’t be explained in writing, at least not properly. He asked if she’d received a gift, a simple golden chain with a beautiful gem to compliment her beautiful smile. She wrote that she had received it and that his attempts at flirtation needed improvement. His next “letter” was simply a sketch of a serene river with a weeping willow and a stone, covered in moss and the simple words, _I wish that I could sketch you here, happy and relaxed as we talk about anything that comes to mind, my dear Rosi. But I hope this sketch will suffice._

It was rather entertaining. Over the next three weeks, they were inseperable, walking around town, arm in arm, chattering and laughing. Folk noticed, very quickly, and began to ask questions. The baker, an older woman named Mrs. Terri, asked first.

“Papyrus! I didn’t know you had a… companion. A selkie at that.” her expression was hard, a glare levelled at the tall skeleton as she dusted her hands on her apron. She was known for her hard temper, but also for her warm, mothering nature. It was unwise to trifle with her. Her workers, on the other hand, were like foxes; they heard everything and spread news fast.

“Actually, Mrs. Terri, she is my fiance. She’s been recovering for the past month.”

“Oh?” she looked curious and intrigued now. A younger girl stopped and stared at the trio with wide eyes as her sister kept kneading but kept an eye on them, listening intently. Rosi nodded and patted Papyrus’ arm as she pulled the coat a little higher. Fall was ending shortly and winter had always bothered her.

“I broke my leg when I was trying to get out of the water. A rock trapped my tail, but thankfully Papyrus came to look for me and found my seal form. I’m grateful that he has such a large Soul for animals or I dread to think what would have happened. He got me free, but he lost his footing and hit his skull. That crack is because of me.” She adjusted the bright red scarf he'd knitted for her, looking mildly dejected and feeling guilt stab through her Soul.

“I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times, it’s not your fault, Rosi.” Papyrus said sternly, picking up on her actual guilt. She sighed and hummed, shrugging. She blushed faintly when Papyrus pressed his teeth to her head and made her look him in the eyes as he said,

“I would take a hundred cracks, a thousand, if it meant you would be safe, my dear.” he smiled as he said it, making her scrunch her nose and pull him down just a little bit so she could reach his chin, pressing a kiss there. They had agreed on what was okay to do in public for affection, to make it believable and what they were both comfortable with. Mrs. Terri seemed to melt a little at the display as the girls had to bite their lips to contain their noises. Papyrus blushed and coughed, straightening as Rosi smiled sweetly and leaned against him once more, wrapping her arm with his.

“Well then, it seems you two are right happy.” she said with a smile as Rosi nodded.

“Yes, we are. It’s nice to be out and about, out of bed for once. I thought I was going to go mad.”

“I brought you books and kept you company!” Papyrus protested and Rosi smiled placatingly, patting his chest.

“Yes, and you are lovely for dealing with my cabin fever. But I love the sea, dear. I hate being in bed.”

“Pah, I can’t get my Earl out of bed some days.” Terri laughed and Rosi laughed with her, the odd barking giggle making Papyrus chuckle his, “Nyhehehehe,” which made the two women laugh all the harder. His laughter was infectious.

“Are we going to see more of you two? And the ring that you’ll be giving her?” Terri asked as they managed to calm down, smoothing back her dark brown, slightly greyed, hair, the fly ways from her braid frizzying in every direction.

“The ring I have yet to find. We were going to pick one out weeks ago, but then, well you know what happened. So we figured our first day out on the town would be a good idea.” Papyrus explained.

“Oh, Jamison has a fine set of rings in his shop. It’s where Earl got my ring, from Jamison’s papa when he owned that shop. Bonnie!” She called and a blue furred rabbit came out, a happy smile on her face as she saw Papyrus and Rosi.

“Oh! I heard from the back, congratulations you two! How did you two meet?”

“Toriel introduced us, actually. She didn’t know I was a selkie, either, but then I had to leave and she acted as a messenger for us until we could meet in person. Which, rather unfortunately, was with both of us getting hurt.” Rosi supplied. Bonnie sighed and nodded, straightening her tunic and apron.

“That’s so sweet.” She smiled and looked at Terri with raised eyebrows. “What’d you need, Terr?”

“You got your ring from Jamison too, didn’t you? The love birds need a proper ring or else it won’t be very official. Love may carry you far, but a ring will show it for all the world to see.” Terri stated, arms crossed as she gave a firm nod.

“Of course I got my ring from him! He’s the best jeweler in town, by rights the only one unless you want to travel four or five days to the city and have to deal with all those competing barkers.” Bonnie snorted, shaking her head. “No, Jami’s the best you have for a piece of jewelry.”

“Have you set a wedding date yet? Or started to plan?” one of the girls asked excitedly and Papyrus laughed.

“If I’m perfectly honest, I believe Toriel, Frisk, and Sans have summarily taken over the whole business.”

“Tori is designing something but she won’t let me see it.” Rosi added, rolling her eye’s with a small smirk. “You’d think I’d make her jump out of her skin when I tried to ask. All I got was a rushed excuse before she gathered everything up and left. It may be a dress.”

Papyrus nodded as Bonnie hummed, looking thoughtful. “She’s a regular jack of trades, that one. Very talented healer, but she teaches at the school for Monsters and Humans and she bakes enough to almost go into competition with Muffet and sews when you ask her.” she laughed and shook her head. “Alright, off with you two! We have work to get done and you have a ring to find!” and with that, the pair bid the bakers good-bye and went off to buy the ring, and necklace.

By the end of the week, everyone in town was buzzing with the news that Papyrus was engaged to Rosi, and not because she was a selkie, but because she was a charming and witty young woman that was kind to everyone she met. The ring she wore was a simple band of gold with a dark blue amethyst imbedded in it, her necklace a golden chain with a sapphire that hung in the hollow of her throat. She and Papyrus smiled and laughed, ate out at Grillby’s, and the elemental was a little quiet but very sweet. He had apparently been talking with Sans about the whole arrangement and smiled, giving them a nod and a hearty congratulations. Rosi, one day, managed to sneak off with Toriel to go and find a good dress for the party and wound up buying a lovely sketchbook for Papyrus’ birthday, and as a thank you. It had thick paper and was bound in leather, the soft, rich brown leather waterproof. Toriel went to pay for it, despite Rosi’s protests, and both women were surprised when the shopkeeper simply laughed and shook his head.

“Have it as an early wedding gift, dear.” the old tortoise, who Rosi had learned was named Gerson, said with a wry smile. “Papyrus is a striking young skeleton and his fiance needs to have a gift for him for his birthday.” he winked and laughed as she blushed, thanking him and leaving with Toriel quickly.

By the time the party approached, the entire town knew and had stopped to talk to them at some point of another, asking for all kinds of details about how they met, when the wedding was, and anything else they could think of. Papyrus and Rosi managed to answer them all, knowing if they didn’t that the townsfolk would come up with their own assumptions. And those would be worse than anything they could think up. Thankfully, they were easily satiated and once the initial shock wore off, people began to treat it as a normal sight, though an underlying buzz of excitement laid across the town like a blanket. The day came, near the end of the third week, that Papyrus packed up two trunks with Sans and Toriel, Rosi and Frisk simply gathered Papyrus’ gift and a few books in a small satchel that Sans had given her.

“Ready to leave?” Sans asked, smiling as Rosi nodded.

“Yes. How are we getting to your manor? Where is it even?”

“Out a little further into the country, a good week or two’s worth of travel.” he said with a thoughtful look in his eye. Rosi’s jaw dropped.

“A _week or two_?! You mean you don’t know?!”

“Well, we rarely go to the manor. Now, do me a favor and hold onto Papyrus for me, and that trunk.” Rosi grumbled but held onto Papyrus, who swept her into his arms and sat on the trunk. Sans laughed, sitting beside his brother, propping his leg on the other trunk as he held onto Papyrus’ shoulder and Toriel held onto the trunk, Frisk perched on her lap, and Sans’ other hand. He winked at Rosi’s confused expression before they were in a very dark, abyss like area before they were in a large, very comfortable looking room.

“What-I-How did… What?!” Rosi stammered, looking around but Sans had disappeared again before he reappeared moments later, holding the metal basin with her pelt.

“Heh, thought we could take a shortcut.” he winked at her outraged expression and laughed, shaking his head. “We’re in the room Papyrus usually sleeps in when we’re here, I figured it would be easier than transporting us to the individual guest rooms. Mother and Father expect me to arrive this way at any rate, so the rooms were already made up and ready.” he shrugged and set the pelt under the bed after checking the towels. “No one comes into his room, they know better than to enter it. He’s usually conducting some experiment or another. And one servant lost his eyebrows from trying to clear his work desk.”

“It smelled of roasted hair for weeks.” Papyrus shuddered and shook his head, setting Rosi down. Her shoes sank into the soft carpet, much like it did in her room at home, but this felt a little different. Less lived in, though it had Papyrus’ cozy personality everywhere. The warm coloration of the wall paper, the soft cream of the bed covers and brightly colored blankets, the dark hardwood floor beneath the bright carpet, large windows and thick curtains to let in sunlight, and bookshelves were everywhere, as well as a large desk, beneath a window. It was covered in pages and notes. Papyrus and Sans moved the trunk to the end of the bed before Sans waved his hand and the other trunk floated, starting to follow him.

“I’ll help Tori and Frisk get settled, then go meet Mother and Father with you two.” Sans said before he opened the door for Toriel and Frisk, following them and closing it behind him.

“Well… That was…” Rosi tried to find the words and failed.

“Odd?” Papyrus suggested with a snort and a smile before he sighed. “Mother and Father will no doubt want to talk to you before tonight, not that there’ll be much time before the party starts… And I will be expected to wear my uniform…” he sighed and Rosi tilted her head.

“Your guard uniform? What’s wrong with wearing it?”

“Nothing it’s just stifling is all.” he sighed then gave her a nod. “By the way, Toriel made you a dress and got you shoes to wear with it.”

“I knew it!” Rosi cheered triumphantly. “Let me see!”

“Nyhehehehehehe!! You’re surprisingly on board with this whole thing.” Rosi rolled her eyes.

“I like wearing pretty dresses, so sue me. I’m used to traipsing about nude, Papyrus. Now let me see the dress.” he laughed again and opened the large trunk before pulling out a floor length ball gown and laying it on the bed, along with a shawl and the shoes. It’s skirts weren’t too full to be heavy, but it was beautiful. It looked to be some kind of silk, the rich dark blue with soft, icy blue and gold thread stitched over the bodice in loose floral patterns. The shoes weren’t the high heels that were in fashion, but instead soft black flats that looked like they would fit her perfectly.

“It’s beautiful.” she mumbled, running her hands over the fabric of the dress. It slid over her fingers like water. There was a shawl that went with it, heather grey with dark blue patterns woven into it. Rosi immediately began to pull off her clothes to get into the dress and Papyrus laughed, shaking his head as she flung her trousers, scarf, and buttoned up shirt at his skull, folding them and setting them in the trunk easily as she pulled the dress on. The sleeves came down her biceps and covered her shoulders with a sweetheart neckline that left her neck and top of her chest bare, unlike other dresses that went up to the base of her throat.

“Help me with the corset part, Paps?” she asked and Papyrus nodded, tightening the back slowly, pausing every now and then to ask if she were still okay. Rosi nodded and he finished tightening it, tying it off with a lovely bow. She twirled around a few times and laughed, shaking her head.

“This is a very surreal experience,” she said, coming to a stop in front of him as he pulled out his uniform.

“You’re telling me…” he muttered. “Shit, I think I misplaced part of my uniform. I’m going to be a while, Sans is just down the hall, why don’t-”

“Paps? Rosi? You two ready yet?” Sans’ voice called through the door before he walked in. He nodded appreciatively at Rosi and gave her a smile. “You look wonderful.”

“Brother, can you take Rosi to meet Mother and Father before tonight? I have to get dressed.” Sans grimaced but he nodded and offered her his arm. Rosi pulled on the shoes first and wrapped the shawl around her shoulders before taking his arm and letting him lead her out of the room and through the halls. There were paintings, tapestries, and windows overlooking the grounds, high ceilings and stunning view of the woods and the long dirt road that lead, to what she assumed, was the main road.

“Our parents are a little formal, and they’re incredibly annoying, but since they got Papyrus’ letter they’ve been a bit calmer. Though they may interrogate you, but I won’t leave you on your own with them.” he assured at her worried look. Down a flight of stairs and down yet another hallway until they reached a parlor where two skeletons were sitting, drinking tea. One was slightly taller than the other, dressed in a charcoal suit with a bright purple tie, his eyelights a rich purple-grey as he read a book. He looked more like Papyrus; sturdier bones and narrower eyelights. The other, who Rosi assumed was the mother, was dressed in a lovely peach gown that brushed the floor, her eyelights a bright green as she sipped at the tea. She looked more like Sans, slightly shorter and slimmer than her husband, but not exactly dainty. Her eye lights were round and her skeletal grin had a softer look to it.

“Father, Mother, may Rosi and I join?” Sans asked, prompting them to look up, as if startled, and the father stood quickly, nodding.

“Of course, of course! Come, sit, sit!” Sans let Rosi make her way over to the couches. She settled next to the mother, who gave her a warm smile.

“Hello my dear, I’m Doctor Helvetica. That is my husband, Doctor Gaster, but please, call me Hel. My husband may be a doctor, but Gaster is fine, isn’t it dear?”

“Seeing as she’s marrying Papyrus, I don’t mind if she calls me Gaster or Father.” he said, settling once more. Sans sat, a little on the edge of the couch, and served tea for Rosi then himself.

“So, tell us about yourself Rosi. Papyrus said so little in his letter.” Helvetica said idly and Rosi took a careful sip of her tea to hide her nerves.

“Well, I’m sure he told, but I am a selkie, however he didn’t know I was until last month,” and so she told them the story they had come up with, making both Gaster and Helvetica relax, smiling a little easier. Sans looked almost astonished but kept it hidden rather well, yawning hugely every now and then.

“Sans, are you still having trouble sleeping?” Helvetica asked at a lull in the conversation and he shrugged, blinking blearily.

“I guess. I did transport myself, Papyrus, Rosi, Toriel and Frisk, plus two trunks, here. That would put a strain on my magic.” he yawned again and Rosi frowned at him.

“You know Papy worries when you don’t take care of yourself, Sans. You need to sleep, especially if you’re going to dance tonight.”

“She’s right, you know, brother.” Papyrus said from the doorway and Rosi felt her heart skip a beat. He looked very regal in his dark blue and purple coat, the black pants stuffed into tall boots. The trim on the coat was silver, with several medals pinned to his chest and a cane in his left hand, reminding her how he got those medals. She managed to meet his gaze and smiled, saying,

“You look very handsome, Papy.” he blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, but he was smiling nonetheless.

“Thank you, though you look stunning. Sans, how about I help you to your room while Toriel and Frisk show Rosi around the grounds?”

“Actually, I’m rather tired myself.” Rosi said, standing. “Thank you for the tea, Hel, Gaster. But I should get some sleep or else I think I won’t be much for dancing.”

Helvetica nodded and waved her hands.

“Of course! Go and sleep, we’ll catch up later tonight.” and with that, Sans, Papyrus and Rosi made their way back up the rooms. Sans barely made it to his bed before he was out like a light, his legs hanging over the edge of the bed comically. Papyrus sighed and simply stripped his brother while Rosi waited patiently, smirking faintly at the soft snores from Sans.

“He sounds like a tiger shark.” she snickered and Papyrus paused for a moment, brow bones rising.

“Do they make noise?” he asked as he dressed his brother in sleep clothes, folding his trousers, shirt and vest, placing them in the trunk.

“They sound like a very angry, very hungry mouthful of teeth.” she teased as Papyrus covered Sans with the blankets. He huffed and she smirked, giggling.

“In all seriousness, though, they sound like a kind of gurgle and a growl, like what he’s doing but underwater.” Papyrus chuckled and closed the door as they left. Once they reached their room, he helped her get undressed and carefully laid out the dress once more while she pulled on one of his shirts and crawled into bed, falling asleep almost instantly. She felt the bed dip, which made her wake up a little, and then there was an odd sense of warmth as Papyrus pulled her close. She smiled sleepily, pecking his sternum, and curling into his hold, enjoying the stillness of the moment.

_-_-_-_

Papyrus had warned her about the number of people. Sans, Toriel and Frisk had warned her as well. She thought they had been exaggerating, even a little bit. It felt like they were underestimating, if anything. There were Humans and Monsters alike in the large hall, all in very fancy, wonderful outfits, laughing, talking and dancing, the sound filling the air like the waves. However, she was adrift. She’d been alright for the first hour or so, having been with Papyrus as people asked questions, or simply wanted to talk to them about their engagement, or ask her about herself. She found it was a little easier to deal with with Papyrus by her side, her best friend dealing with the too nosey people by giving them a sharp look that sent them on their way. He then was called away by a spider woman named Muffet, who wanted to dance, but she managed to find Sans, who was chatting with Toriel. The pair helped calm her down, keeping her on the edges of the crowd. People ebbed and flowed towards them, complimenting her dress, her hair, her everything. Some stayed to talk, and she met a young goat monster named Asriel, who she found out was related to Toriel, and her husband, Asgore. He was their son, Frisk their adopted daughter, though she was hiding upstairs with her books. Rosi wished she could join her. Asgore was kind enough, but he was whisked away by Toriel for a dance and later by Gaster to talk.

Now, an hour later after having been able to keep to the back and talk with Asriel and Sans, and the occasional person or Monster who was curious, she was alone. Helvetica was nowhere to be found, neither was Sans, nor Papyrus, Toriel, Asriel, or Asgore. People were everywhere, the noise almost deafening as she tried to find a quieter space in the hall but there wasn't one. It was just a wall of noise, like a wave that threatened to drown her. She felt incredibly overwhelmed by it all and nearly screamed when a hand clamped down on her shoulder.

“There ya are! I’ve been looking for you!” A loud voice said and before Rosi knew what was happening, she was linking arms with someone else and being dragged outside to the terrace where the noise was a little less. The person who dragged her out there was dressed very much like Papyrus, with a few more medals, a sword at her side and shorter boots. She had crimson red hair that flowed down her back in a ponytail, a sharp grin and an eye patch. Her scales were shining slightly in the light from the hall, the dark blue almost a teal, the crimson red of her fins slightly lighter than that of her hair. 

“My name’s Undyne and you’re the punk that’s marrying my best friend.” Rosi simply nodded, wordless. She felt a little overwhelmed and speaking was no longer on her abilities. Undyne’s smirk lessened and a worried light came to her eye as she asked,

“Are you okay there?” Rosi opened her mouth to make a sound, then closed it and shook her head. Undyne pursed her lips and sighed, forcing her to sit and rubbed a hand up and down her back. “Breathe, punk. You need to breathe. There you go… Where’d that damn bone head go? His fiance is havin’ a panic attack and I’m stuck helping her through it stead of him…” she muttered, more annoyed at Papyrus it seemed than Rosi.

“S-S-S-” she couldn’t even get the word out.

“Don’t be, and don’t try to talk if you don’t feel like it.” Undyne said softly, her rough voice a little softer, easier to listen to. “Just breathe.” Rosi nodded and took a few shuddering gasps of air. Faintly, she could hear Undyne talking to her.

“You’re a little like my girlfriend, Alphys. She’s not here, too many people. I’m surprised that Papyrus was bone headed enough to leave you on your own when you obviously don’t handle crowds. I love him, I really do, but he can be quite the bonehead. There you go, it’s okay.” she let Rosi hold one of her hands and squeeze till she was sure Undyne’s hand would have broken but the other woman didn’t so much as flinch.

“Nice grip. If you know how to fight, you’re gonna have to fight me some day.” She said with a laugh, making Rosi snort. Slowly, her heart rate slowed down and her breathing calmed down.

“Undyne have you seen-Rosi?! What’s wrong?!” Papyrus’ voice was suddenly right there and she lifted her head, seeing her friend’s face inches from her own. She gave a small grin but it looked more like a grimace.

“She’s having a panic attack, you numbskull.” Undyne chastised. “What the fuck were you thinking, leaving her on her own?!”

“I didn’t want to! I lost track of her-”

“How do you lose track of your fiance?!” Undyne demanded. “Seriously Papyrus, you have a better head than that.”

“Yes, and I’m sure Sans will debate that point with you later should he hear about it, but right now I need to take care of Rosi.”

Undyne smirked and patted his shoulder. “I’m happy for you, Papyrus. You deserve someone who makes you happy. I’ll talk to you later, when she’s okay. We’ll all do lunch.” and with that, Undyne left, Papyrus taking her place in seconds.

“Rosi, what do you need?” His voice was calming, easing her nerves. Shakily, clumsily, she signed, _Room. Quiet. Too noise._

“Too much noise?” He guessed and Rosi nodded. “Alright, hold on, I’m going to pick you up and carry you around the back entrance.” he swept her into his arms and held her close to his chest, like he did the first day they met. Only it was a clear Autumn night, the full moon guiding them this time instead of pounding rain. He hummed softly as he made his way around the manor and back inside, servants scurrying to help but he simply shook his head and asked,

“Please bring some light food and water to our room, and let my parents know that Rosi wasn’t feeling well so we retired early.” The young man nodded and scurried off. When they made it back to their room, Papyrus helped her undress and pull on a simple night gown before he dressed himself for bed as well, then curled up with her in bed, grabbing a book along the way. She curled against his chest as he propped them up on the pillows, pulling the blankets up close. He ran his hands through her hair slowly, soothing and read softly until she managed,

“Thank you, Papy.”

“Of course, Rosi. Are you feeling better?” She nodded and sighed.

“I’m sorry-”

“Don’t apologize, you silly selkie.” he cut her off. “It was my mistake for leaving you. You aren’t used to these kinds of things like Sans and I are. Undyne seems to like you, though I don’t doubt she’ll get you by yourself again, though it’ll probably be to be sure that you’re okay.” he snorted. “She worries, for all that she acts like she doesn’t. She is very loyal, and a wonderful friend.”

“She seemed like.” She yawned, suddenly exhausted. Papyrus nuzzled her head and said,

“Get some sleep, Rosi. I’ll wake you when food is here.” Rosi nodded and hummed. As she was falling asleep, she was struck by a funny thought. Here, in an unfamiliar place, miles from the sea, the only home she’d ever truly known, she felt _safe._ It hit her then. It wasn’t the cottage, or the sea that made her feel safe. It was laying there, in the arms of her best friend, in Papyrus’ arms, his Soul thudding softly. _He_ was home. She smiled, feeling happier and lighter than she had in years with that revelation and she fell into an easy, deep, dreamless slumber.


End file.
